






• <f 



'o « 



> 






• * •- ^5. .0 V r * • ' • *~ 







0' 






AC 1 



^^••° .<* 













^°* \i 



V 



« 6 .-58k " jf'iakX o«»*.^i.% V.' 







^ \ 



y .-ate v* .-kate w .-ok < 





A° ^ ' • • • 

.^BT. <q0 - .. 



■j«S?A' 



=o> -<■> 



:• ^ A * .vVa*- ** 



,c 




DR. NELLIE BEIGHLE. 






Book of Knowledge 



PSYCHIC FACTS 



BY 

Dr. NELLIE BEIGHLE 

ILLUSTRATED 



*& 



PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR 
BY 

THE ALLIANCE PUBLISHING CO. 



ftSva.** 



THE LIBRARY Of 

CONG REDS, 
Tv*o Cow^g Received 

C !2 ises 

|dl4ss a. XXo. no. 

T5&17 



v**- 



A i 



Copyright, 1903, by 
Dr. NELLIE BEIGHLE 



PREFACE. 

So many of my dear friends and beloved patients have asked 
me why I did not write a book of my life, giving to the public, in 
that way, the many peculiar tests both in healing and messages 
which have been given to me for others, through the divine power 
which has controlled me for the last twenty-one years; and so 
to-night, the 14th of May, 1902, I seat myself at my desk for that 
purpose, hoping that my experiences may prove a help to many 
dear ones, and that they, too, may have the power to unlock the 
door between the mortal and the immortal and let their beloved 
ones enter their homes. The secret of the spiritual life is being 
whispered to-day. To-morrow the voices will be clearer. By 
and by it will be heard all around the world. And so, dear reader, 
I only hope that you too shall hear the voices of your loved ones, 
and that they may prove a blessing to you, as they have been to 
me; and to the beloved readers who know me, I want you all to 
know this, on earth or in heaven, I am, and always will be, a 
friend and a woman of the people. 

Dr. Nellie Beighle. 



% 



%. 



I 



V 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGS 

I. Early Life and Development i 

II. Record of Some Wonderful Cures ... - 18 

III. Controls and Mediums 84 

IV. Who are These Spiritualists? hi 

V. Galaxy of Modern Spiritualists 137 

VI. Incidents in the Life of D. D. Home 147 

VII. Was Lincoln a Spiritualist? ------ 169 

VIII. Florence Marryat 192 

IX. A Record of Authentic Apparitions - 225 

X. Report on Spiritualism of the Committee of the London 

Dialectical Society 165 

XI. Spiritualism in North America 309 

XII. George Fox and the Friends 347 

XIII. The Wesleys, Whitefield and Fletcher of Madeley - 369 

XIV. A Chapter of Poets 393 

XV. Swedenborg's Spiritual Development - 410 

XVI. A Message from Lord Bacon 416 

XVII. Gleams from Life and the New Testament - - - 421 

XVIII. Our Yesterdays and Our To-Morrows - 440 

XIX. Faith and Power 448 

XX. Who are the Christians? 470 

XXI. A High Life 488 

XXII. Harmful Fears 501 

XXIII. The Man Who looks out of Your Eyes - - - 510 

XXIV. What is Religion? 530 



i 



BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE: PSYCHIC FACTS. 

CHAPTER I. 
EARLY LIFE AND DEVELOPMENT. 

I was born in Lower Canada, September 7, 185 1, of Scotch 
parents, who belonged to the old Scotch Covenanters, in which 
faith we, or at least my brother and sisters, were raised, as my 
precious mother passed to the higher life when I was but two 
years old. My sister Jessie brought me to California and to San 
Francisco in 1859. As my father had married again, we all, ex- 
cept one sister who remained with father, came here, where a 
sister and two brothers had preceded us. There were twelve 
children in our family — ten girls and two boys, I being the seventh 
daughter. I believe there is an old tradition about the seventh 
daughter having healing powers, but I think, if such is the case, 
the unseen healing was back of it then as now. My dear sister 
Jessie, God bless her, who is next to the oldest, guided me until 
I budded into womanhood; and then after teaching school for 
a short time, I married George W. Beighle. Two daughters 
and one son were given to us. Alice, our eldest daughter, is 
now the happy wife of one of the best of men, Samuel 
Taylor. Two little ones were given to them, Helen Jean and 
Wilson Beighle Taylor, both very bright children of whom 
we are very proud. Edna, our second daughter, is the happy 
wife of Willard R. Wright, and two children were given them, 
Iola Wright and Billy, our little baby. 

The Holy Powers blessed me when mates were selected for 
my darling girls, as neither of their husbands uses liquor or 
tobacco ; and when I pass on to the higher life, which I will do in 
the near future, I go contentedly, well knowing that my good 
sons will continue to be good to my darling girls. 

Henry, our beloved son, began his life work in the higher life, 



2 Book of Knowledge. 

but in these later years has become my Angel Messenger Boy, 
and how trustworthy he is many can testify. 

I was very bitter against Spiritualism before my eyes were 
opened to the heavenly light. When our children were very 
young we moved from San Francisco to Oakland, or between 
Oakland and Berkeley, thinking our little ones would have better 
air and more freedom. So we bought a place and started a gar- 
den, and in that garden I began my development. No wonder 
I love flowers so, for in my trying to cultivate them the Holy 
Powers cultivated me. The first indications that came to me were 
tiny raps. I was alone with my two little ones, as my husband 
left early and came home late; so, indeed, I was very lonely at 
times, and when I heard those tiny raps I thought it was an in- 
sect in the wood, as I heard my sisters in the country speak of a 
woodtick, which made a peculiar noise; so when speaking to a 
neighbor of mine, Mrs. McComb, the wife of General John 
McComb, who was well known here, I said, " Don't you know, 
Mrs. McComb, I hear such funny noises. It must be the woodtick 
in the wood. Go where I may through the house I hear it." She 
laughingly replied, " Why, Mrs. Beighle, those are spirit raps. I 
always thought you were a medium." I was amazed to think that 
she even suggested such a thing. Some time later Mrs. McComb, 
hearing me sing once in a while, conceived the idea that I must 
have my voice cultivated for concert work. She insisted on my 
going with her to Mrs. Melville-Snyder, the well-known singing 
teacher in the city, to have her test my voice. We started one day 
to San Francisco to see the teacher, but when we got there she 
was not at home. So Mrs. McComb asked me if I would go with 
her to Mrs. Breede's seance for ladies only. I said yes, I would 
go with her. I remember we had to climb quite a number of 
stairs. While doing so I looked around, fearing some one whom 
I knew might see me. When we entered the parlors about twenty 
or more ladies were ahead of us, so we seated ourselves as far 
from the medium as we possibly could. I shall never forget how I 
watched Mrs. Breede, the medium. Her power came to her in 
telegraphic messages; that is, sounds came on the table, as I 
learned later on, when I knew her better, like telegraphing, and 
she read the messages in that way. After giving a few tests to 



Early Life and Development. 3 

some ladies near her, she began to act so strangely and said she 
was controlled by a Scotchwoman who wanted her daughter 
Helen. A strange sensation passed over me. I knew my dear 
mother was Scotch and I knew my name was Helen, but I did not 
speak. Mrs. Breede said, " Poor woman, your daughter does not 
want to recognize you, does she? Well, I will pick her out for 
you." She immediately pointed her finger at me and said, 
" Madam, your name is Helen, and this dear Spirit is your 
mother." I blurted out, " Yes." She began to write, and when 
through told me to come and get the message. I did so. These 
were the words that were written. " My dear child Helen, I 
have been trying so hard to make you understand I was with you. 
My child you will meet with great success. Go right ahead, my 
dear child. Your mother, Jean Craib." I was dumbfounded. 
The medium then turned to Mrs. McComb and cautioned her in 
regard to signing some business papers, which later on she did 
sign, and sustained a loss, just as the medium said she would. 
She said her sister Mary was there giving her the information. 
Mrs. McComb and I started home again. I did not know how 
she felt, but I did know that I was told I would be successful, and 
my voice — well, it was going to make me successful, and I was 
overjoyed. A few days later, I called to see a lady not very far 
from us, and when I entered she and her daughter were seated 
at a table. Mrs. Pinkham, the lady, said to me, " Come, Mrs. 
Beighle, and put your hands on the table and see if we can bring 
the spirits. My daughter and I have been trying to get raps." I 
sat down laughingly, making some foolish remark, when in a few 
moments my arm began to shake so violently that I became 
frightened. Mrs. Pinkham, who I found out afterwards was very 
interested in Spiritualism, and had had quite a little experience 
herself, said to me, " Mrs. Beighle, I think some one wants to 
write." She hurriedly got me paper and pencil, and my hand, 
becoming a little steadier, wrote these words : " I am your mother. 
Do not be afraid. I have come to you for your good and that of 
others, and to prove to you that I am your mother, I will tell you 
what you are going to do. You will leave your home and go back 
to the city the 1st of November." That was two months later, 
and, as we owned our home, I could not see how it could happen. 



4 Book of Knowledge. 

But it did happen, much to my surprise. Then she went on to 
tell me different things, some in regard to family matters, which I 
did not know, being the youngest, and which proved to be correct. 
After the influence left me I felt weak, but so strangely happy. 
I knew I did not, nor could not, make my arm tremble so, and I 
knew my family reverenced my mother, and I knew it was she 
who controlled my hand, for the feeling of peace that took pos- 
session of me made me realize it ; and from that day to this she 
has ever been my Blessed Sacred Mother, and through her the 
communication between the two worlds has been proven not only 
to me, but to thousands upon thousands, a blessed fact, a truth, 
and if the whole world should cry it down, I would stand alone 
and cry it from the housetops. After the messages written 
through my hand from my Sacred Mother, I seemed to be lifted 
out of something, and from that time until success crowned me, I 
realized the correct meaning of the old proverb, " No Cross, No 
Crown ; " for surely my crosses were many and so heavy at times 
as to be almost unbearable. A great many still on earth will never 
know until they reach the higher existence what trials, through 
them, have come to me, when a kind word would have done so 
much. And right here I want to say I have forgiven them all 
long ago. Well, after I found that my darling mother, whom I 
had so often longed for, was not dead but living and would be 
my guide and companion, no wonder I became successful, with 
her noble Angel presence at the helm. Through her so many 
were permitted to come to me. My sister Sarah, who had also 
passed away when I was quite young, who while on earth com- 
posed poetry, and, as I know now, was controlled, came to me soon 
after my dear mother did, but giving the name of Sunshine. 
The first time she came was late one evening. My two babies 
had been tucked away in their little beds, and I sat there dream- 
ing of a change which had opened a door to a new life, when I 
felt a presence and was compelled to take a pencil and write. 
These words were written : 

" I know the night is weary 
For you to sit alone, 
To watch and wait his coming, 
But never mind, dear one. 






Early Life and Development. 5 

This way of living cannot last 
Forever, that is sure; 
But put your trust in Him above, 
And he will find the cure. 

How I wish your life were happier cast, 
But never mind, we'll see 
How bright will be the future, 
My darling Nell, for thee." 

(Signed) Sunshine. 

And from that on until now, I had the power to write many 
things. Well, in November we moved to San Francisco, and 
when my sister and friends found out I had become a Spirit- 
ualist the report was that I was going insane. Then clairvoy- 
ance came to me. On a white wall, letters would be written in 
black, giving messages to any one who was in the room with me. 
If the walls were dark, the messages would come either in gold 
or white ; for instance, when we returned to the city, an old friend 
of ours and I took a house together, she having a husband and 
two children and I the same; so we divided the house and lived 
very comfortably. She, my friend, liked me very much, but when 
I would tell her what I could see or write, she would get very 
nervous. One day Capt. Cook called to see me to say good-bye, 
as he was going to Colorado the next day, saying he had just 
got his trunk packed, when this message was written on the 
white wall above his head : " No, not until the first day of April 
will you leave here." That was three weeks hence. Capt. Cook 
said, " Impossible, I am just waiting for a letter and will get it 
as soon as I return to my room." The letter he expected did not 
come until the first day of April. 

One day my Sacred Mother was writing for me, when she 
seemed to let go of my hand and another influence took it and 
began writing so rapidly. When I happened to look up, just as 
the power was leaving me, I saw a man standing before me with 
a star as bright as diamonds on his forehead, and when I picked 
up the several sheets of paper, which had been written on, it was 
signed " Thomas Starr King ; " and I found out later that he 



6 Book of Knowledge. 

was the Unitarian minister who had died when I was a little girl. 
The writing gave minute directions about development ; what I 
should do, which, thank goodness, I followed to the letter. So 
often when I would see the forms of the dear Angels, and writ- 
ings on the wall or in mid-air, I would close my eyes and open 
them again, to see if I imagined it at all. But open or shut, the 
writings were just as clear, and I think that is why all my test 
powers come in prophesy. Thomas Starr King, when he became 
more familiar to me, wanted me to call him " Father King," and 
ever since I have addressed him by that dear name. The loved 
ones who came to me never allowed me to go anywhere, as they 
said it interfered with my development; and they wanted me 
to demonstrate this truth to the people, and through it, I would 
be able to brighten their lives. One day Father King told me 
there was a medium who was going to give a seance for ladies 
only, and he wanted me to go, as he wished to speak to me 
through her. I got the paper and found that Mrs. Ada Scales 
was going to have such a seance. So I asked Mrs. N — , the lady 
who had the house with me, if she would go with me. The seance 
was to be at two o'clock and we went about half-past one; but 
even then the parlors were quite full. Mrs. Scales came in and 
seated herself. Very soon her face changed, and she went into 
a trance. I asked the lady who sat near me what was the matter 
with her. She said she was in a trance state. In a moment she 
wrote something across a piece of paper, rolled it up and threw 
it at me. I opened it and read the name of Thomas Starr King. 
She immediately began speaking, using such beautiful language, 
and addressing the conversation to me. After the medium ceased 
speaking, all who were present complimented me on having such 

a guide. No one knew Mrs. N and I were going there, and 

all were strangers to us. Indeed, I was very happy, having cor- 
roborated through a strange medium what he had already told 
me. My Sacred Mother told me so many times, if friends wanted 
me to give them any test, never to sit with more than one in the 
room, as they were gathering a band sufficiently strong to guard 
and protect me, not only from the earth people, but those unde- 
veloped in the higher life. I disobeyed one night by sitting with 
a lady who could hear the Angels speak to her. She was deaf 



Early Life and Development. 7 

and partially dumb. She said that one of her controls was a mute, 
whom she had known in life, but that he had told her so many 
untruths that she did not like him. My sainted mother, knowing 
she was coming, told me not to sit at the table with her, but I did ; 
and not being very strong, and as my mother had warned me 
about my band not being formed, he attached himself to me and 
for two months he bothered me so. When I would feel his in- 
fluence, I would go out into the open air. My Sacred Mother 
wrote through my hand and said, " You see what trouble your 
disobedience has caused us and yourself as well." In time, that 
influence left me, and I was once more on the road to develop- 
ment. I was told by my dear Father King that if I would take 
two slates and put a pencil in between (that is, a very small piece 
of slate pencil), perhaps I would get slate writing. As that was 
another phase which I was not familiar with, I was told to go to 
Mrs. Francis, the slate-writer, and they would explain what they 
meant. I went to see Mrs. Francis, and had an hour with her. 
Her slate was made of paper, and she held it under the table; 
when she would take the slate out, I could see the pencil still 
moving. The noise of the pencil sounded like electricity, but I 
marvelled at the writing and messages, for she did not know who 
I was. I had never seen her before. One message I received 
was from my beloved mother, the other was from Father King, 
giving me the same directions on the slate that he had written 
through my own hand. I was told to sit every day for one hour, 
from eight until nine o'clock in the morning, excepting Sundays, 
which I did for one year steadily, punctuality being one of the 
rules. I know I did not deviate ten minutes in that time. I had 
a little table (which I still have in my sanctuary), and I placed 
the slates on that; when I was through with it I would cover 
it over until the next morning. I would sit there every morning 
for four or five months, and would not get a scratch on it, not 
even a rap. Sometimes I would hear a noise as though the pencil 
was writing. Once I got the name of " Mother " written, which 
pleased me very much. When the year was up, my sainted 
mother told me not to sit at the table again until she told me to, 
that she wanted me to rest. About three weeks later, a friend 
came to see me and said she was so worried about business and 



8 Book of Knowledge. 

wanted me to ask my dear mother what she should do. I told 
her I could not, because I was told to rest. She then commenced 
to tell me about her financial troubles, when / began to talk to 
her, telling her what caused her to be sick. She was astonished 
at what I told her. In a few moments I was compelled to place 
my hand on top of her head. When I did so, she said she felt 
as though a thousand needles were penetrating her brain and 
body. When the power came into my hand, I spoke a peculiar 
language; I was told afterwards that it was Egyptian. From 
that on, every day my arm would seem to be so filled with power 
that it seemed to me that if I could not get my hand on some one 
who was sick my arm would burst. One day my dear mother 
gave me the sign that she wanted to write through my hand. I 
got the paper and pencil, and she wrote and told me to go right 
over to my brother's house, in Oakland, that his wife was very 
sick. I went over and found my sister-in-law very ill. I offered 
to rub her, and when I laid my hand on her the power took pos- 
session of my arm and my voice. It frightened my sister-in-law, 
but we cured her. Her doctor was very mystified about it. A 
day or two later my husband came in with a sore throat. I 
wanted to put my hand on his throat, but as he was so bitter 
against Spiritualism I was afraid he would be angry, as he did 
not know I had the power. Again the power took possession of 
the arm and treated him, and it cured his throat. I know he was 
surprised from the way he looked. A few days later I was told 
to sit at my table again. After I had sat every morning for a 
week, an hour a day, a voice spoke in my ear, the voice of a man, 
telling me that he would diagnose all cases for me, and that I 
would have to go before the people and heal them as he would 
direct. He told me that in life he was Dr Cooper, Sir Astley 
Paston Cooper, and he would prove his work to my satisfaction. 
On the Saturday following my husband told me that some 
friends of his heard that I had a wonderful power in my arm, 
and they advised him to let me use it. So he told me he would 
not interfere with me on one condition. The bookkeeper who was 
in the store had been sick for two years or more, and no doctor 
had been able to tell what his disease was. Now, if this power 
could tell what his trouble was and cure him, he would not object 



Early Life and Development. 9 

to my using it. The " voice " spoke in my ear and said, " Take 
him at his word." I told Mr. Beighle to bring the gentleman 
and I would see what we could do. The next day my husband 
brought Mr. T. to our rooms, and the " voice " spoke in my ear, 
telling me what the trouble was, how long he had had it, and 
how it began. In a very short time we cured the gentleman. 
Later on he married, and we cured his wife; four or five years 
ago he brought his fourteen year old daughter to me and we 
cured her. 

It all seemed so strange to me. The people began to hear 
about me, and shortly after we cured Mr. T., the bookkeeper, a 
gentleman called to see me one Sunday morning and asked me if 
I would go and see his wife. He said four doctors had given 
her up to die. I went with him to his home, and into his wife's 
room. I will never forget it — I had on a tight waist, and when 
I went to the bedside of the lady, the " power " took hold of me, 
and I began to speak that foreign language again, and in less 
than a minute I was out of my tight waist, bending over the. 
woman. I will not enter into details, but enough to know the 
power over me cured her. 

From that time on, I began my work before the public, heal- 
ing the sick, and preaching the kingdom of God and the life 
beyond. 

One of the ladies who came to me was a Mrs. Kirby, who 
was English, and a literary woman. She had written quite a 
number of books. She asked me who controlled me in my heal- 
ing. I told her about my first hearing the " voice," and being told 
that it was Sir Astley Cooper, the English surgeon, but that I 
would give anything if I only knew it was he. She said she had 
known him well in London. I told her if she did, to ask him 
any question, and if he answered me correctly, that I would never 
doubt again. He did answer every question, to her surprise and 
to my gratification. Dr. Cooper, my beloved teacher, told me 
that the healers that surrounded me were all Egyptians, and 
there were many continuously joining my band; that he diag- 
nosed my cases, and the healers did the curing. The first three 
years of my practise, I treated only ladies and children, because 
two or three men who came under the treatment after I first 
started thought that their wealth allowed them liberties. 



io Book of Knowledge. 

So I vowed I never would even show the power to a man ; but 
after we had made so many cures and my practise was so large, 
one of the society ladies came and begged of me to treat her 
husband. I handed her my card which read, " women and chil- 
dren only." She said she knew that, but pleaded with me to 
break the rule and take her husband; I told her I could not do it. 
That night she came to my home with her husband, and asked 
me just to tell her what his disease was. Well, dear Dr. Cooper 
told me he had two ulcers in his stomach, and several other things 
about him, which impressed both of them as wonderful. Again 
the lady pleaded with me to treat him. Dr. Cooper said to me, 
" Take him, but if you do you must treat him on the table, the 
same as you would a woman. Henceforth, one sex shall be the 
same as another." We cured the gentleman, and he and his dear 
wife are among my dear friends to-day. 

My dear friends and readers, perhaps you may think that my 
life ran smoothly, with such a God-given power. I realized before 
a great while what the passage in the New Testament meant, 
" Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul," also, " That 
the thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed." St. Luke II — 35. 
How many times did I pray that I might be taken out of it, but 
Sacred Mother and Holy Doctor Cooper, with many others, sur- 
rounded me, and I would see clairvoyantly so many forget-me- 
nots floating through the room. Twenty-three years ago the 
people were not as enlightened as they are to-day. To say you 
were a believer in Spiritualism was enough to condemn you, 
and I met skepticism on all sides. My own family were skeptical, 
my husband was skeptical, and the people with whom I came in 
contact were skeptical. Sometimes, in my despair, I wondered 
what sin I had committed that I was made to go through all 
that was put before me. Then the dear, patient voice of Holy 
Dr. Cooper would say to me, " You are going through a fiery 
furnace, but you are coming out good metal." Many years since 
I have had my great practise, and we have proved our work, 
and the " intelligence " that surrounds me. I thanked the Crea- 
tor and the angel loved ones that I was permitted to be their 
instrument. Now, when I say to my dear patients and friends 
that I have lived hundreds of years, I do not mean it as a Theoso- 



Early Life and Development. n 

phist, but in experience. Years ago I had so many people come 
into the office and ask me to take off my shoes, as they heard I 
had batteries in them. I have gone to houses and undressed for 
ladies to prove I did not have a battery around my body, until 
at last I resented this, and had my white office gowns made 
with an open sleeve, showing just how far the power controlled 
my arm, just an inch above the elbow. I cannot enter into details 
in regard to the way some of the people acted with me. They 
would look at me as if to see what kind of an animal I was, and 
so many times I felt as though I could not come in contact 
with them, but thank the God-power, for many years I have 
gained the mastery over the people, and proved to them that the 
spark of God is in every man and woman, and that it only takes 
a kind word to fan it into a flame. I had a wonderful lesson 
taught me, which, if I needed any more " fiery furnace," brought 
me out " good metal," because it taught me, through my beloved 
teacher, to be charitable. About fifteen years ago I had my office 
in the Flood Building, and I boarded in the Northern part of the 
city so I could get better air. The family I boarded with con- 
sisted of a gentleman and his wife and neice. I had been in 
the family about two months, when I began to have a power over 
me, so that I knew everything, seemingly, that was taking place, 
and what had taken place in the past; not only did I have that 
over me for the family, but for everyone whose presence I came 
into the same power would come to me. I began to think that 
there were no good people. One day a lady came into the office, 
and she told me something that happened, and later in the. day 
a gentleman came in and told me the same thing. Instantly the 
power was over me, and I remarked to the gentleman, " I would 
give a good deal to see a good woman or man, and one I could 
have confidence in." He said, " Don't you have confidence in 
me, Dr. Beighle? " I told him " No," I did until then, but that 
the God-power had given me a power for the last month or so to 
see the people as they were, and told him what I saw. Now, I 
had no more right to speak to him than I would to the greatest 
stranger, and I told him so. He said, " Doctor, I would rather 
lose anything on earth than your confidence." When I left the 
office, I was so tired and I felt so badly about speaking up to 



12 Book of Knowledge. 

the gentleman that when I got home I threw myself in my 
lounging chair and begged Dr. Cooper to have that power taken 
from me, or to lessen it. In a few moments these verses were 
given to me, and from that day to this I have had more sympathy 
for the people, more charity, well knowing that circumstances 
often place them in positions that the soul revolts against. I have 
learned again to thank the God-power for the lesson. 

The following is a copy of the verses above referred to: 

TIRED. 

I'm tired of gleaning when fain I would reap, 
I'm tired of smiling when fain I would weep, 
Fm tired of all the lonely hours that creep; 
So tired. 

Fm tired of building idols of clay, 
Of watching hope's sweet visions fade away, 
Of learning bitter lessons day by day; 
So tired. 

Fm tired of trusting but to be deceived, 
Of doubting when 'twould be better to believe, 
Of failure when so much should be achieved; 
So tired. 

And yet Fm waiting day by day, 
For the loved ones to call me o'er the way, 
And I wonder much at their long delay, 
For I am still so tired. 

Rest, weary mortal, child of earth, 
Turn thy sadness into mirth, 

Years will come and go e'er there comes a new birth, 
But then you will not be tired. 

While I had the writing power (that is, before I became a 
healer), when the dear mother wanted me to write, she would 






Early Life and Development. 13 

make me feel as though cold water was running down my back, 
and I would get pencil and paper; and then I would receive 
messages and instructions in that manner. One day I was influ- 
enced to take the pencil, when I seemingly betame blind, and 
still my eyes were open. Quite a message was written, part of 
it in German and part in English. When it was finished, the 

name of " Doretta " was signed to it. Mrs. N , my dear old 

friend, was with me at the time, but she did not recognize the 
name or the message. When her husband came in, she asked 
him if there was anything the matter with his mother's eyes 
before she died, and what was her given name. He looked sur- 
prised, and said, " My mother was blind for five years, and her 

name was Doretta." Mrs. N handed him the message, 

much to his amazement. He recognized it as coming from his 
mother. Another evening, while sitting in the room, talking 

with Mrs. N , I saw such a flock of sheep coming toward me, 

and they seemed so real. When I asked my mother what it 
meant, she said, " My dear child, in the near future people will 
come to you for assistance, in droves as you see those sheep." 
I did not have healing power then, nor did I expect to have it, 
but the people did come, later. 

Father King (Thomas Starr King) told me that I would have 
to submit to being entranced, so that they could the better de- 
velop me. He wished me to form a circle of four or five, and said 

we were to meet twice a week. Mrs. N , her husband, and 

Mr. Weise formed the circle with me. I found that Mr. Weise 
knew considerable about the spiritual laws, and he was a great 
help to me. 

I shall never forget the first time Father King entranced me. 
I began to feel as though I was so large (I weighed only ninety- 
four pounds at the time) ; he soon overpowered the brain, and I 
was told afterwards that it was wonderful to hear the language 
he used and the instruction he gave. Father King said he wanted 
us to sit for a few months, so that he could get me in a condition 
that the power could influence me to do the work for which they 
were preparing me. I asked him if he would tell me what kind 
of public mediumship I was going to have. He said they were 
not yet ready to tell me anything about it, for if they should tell 



14 Book of Knowledge. 

me that would interfere with their work, that is, I would be con- 
stantly dwelling upon it, and they could not do so well. One 
night Father King said that I was going to be controlled very 
soon by a little girl, who would prove to be a wonderful mes- 
senger, and that she was part Indian and part English. Some 
time later, I was entranced by the little girl Father King told me 
about. She gave her name as Tellula, and indeed she was a won- 
derful messenger, and always truthful. Those who were priv- 
ileged to hear her, and to have her get messages for them 
were delighted with her, and she convinced many people of 
the life beyond. She is with me now a great deal, but she 
does not entrance me now, but she speaks in her independent 
voice. 

Some years later my old friend, Mrs. N , came to spend 

the evening with me. I was then before the public as a healer. 

Mrs. N 's first husband had passed out of her life, and she 

was married again to a mining man. Mr. D , her husband, 

was away from the city, attending to his mining work, a great 
deal. On this evening Mrs. D asked me if Tellula ever con- 
trolled me now. I said that I had not heard from her for a long 

time. Mrs. D said, " I wish she would come to-night. Oh, 

Nella, wasn't she a wonderful messenger? I miss her so much 
when I want to find out anything." We sat there talking for 

about half an hour ; then Mrs. D said, " Nella, Tellula is here ; 

I feel her on my shoulders." Sure enough, she was with us, and 

controlled me. She told Mrs. D to get her clothes ready, for 

she would go to Mexico in a little while; that she was going to 

receive a telegram and a letter from Mr. D , saying he had 

accepted an offer to go to Mexico ; and that she was going, too ; 

she also told her several other things. When Mrs. D told 

me what she said about going away, I asked her if she had heard 
anything about it. She said, " No, but did not Tellula just tell 
me?" I said, " Surely you will not get anything until you know 
positively." She answered that of course she was going out the 
next day to buy her clothes. I advised her not to do so until 
she heard from her husband, but she said that Tellula was always 
right. Next day she went out and made her purchases, and 
started to make her thin waists for warm weather. In three 



Early Life and Development. 15 

days she received a telegram from her husband, saying he was 
coming down, and she would understand his reason for doing 
so when she received his letter. A week or two passed, and Mrs. 

D came into the office with her husband, who was on his 

way to Mexico. She looked very sorrowful, and said, " Nella, I 
cannot go with my husband, for the Company will not allow the 
wives to go." I said, " I told you not to buy a lot of clothes 
that you cannot wear here." That night I took dinner and spent 
the evening with them. On that occasion Tellula came again 

and told Mrs. D not to feel so disappointed; that she was 

going to Mexico in three weeks and that she would stay a long 
time. She did go in three weeks, and remained three years. 
Tellula was right again. 

At one time my daughter Alice was receiving attentions 
from a very excellent young man, whom we all liked very much. 
One night Tellula was requested to come for some friends who 
were anxious about a matter that she could attend to for them. 
Dear Alice sat there with us ; Tellula told her she was not going 
to marry that young man. Alice said, indeed she would ; Tellula 
answered, " The man you are going to marry is a foreigner, 
and he will not be in this state for a year." Alice did not marry 
the young man, but she married a Canadian who came to San 
Francisco a year later. All Tellula said about him was correct, 
for he has been a faithfulhusband to Alice, and a dear son to me. 
If I were to write all the wonderful things I know about Tellula 
it would fill a book. 

When I speak of the God Power, it means many powers, — 
many messengers, but God at the head of all. A university has 
its president; every factory has its foreman; all corporations 
have a head man ; even the busy bees have a leader, their queen. 
So is God at the head of all things, and the angel loved ones, 
our messengers, are in cooperation with Him. I could not exist 
without the proof of the life beyond and their loving care. Even 
to-day, while I am out on a vacation of only six weeks, I long for 
the time to come when I shall be again in my office, surrounded 
by the heavenly influences and encouraging words. Of course 
I have them with me now, but not as close as I do when I am in 
my office. 



1 6 Book of Knowledge. 

When my second husband met with the accident which ulti- 
mately took his spirit from the body, I thought again that I was 
deserted, but it proved to be a blessing in disguise. I had been 
married to him only two months when he met with the accident, 
and he passed out of the body nearly two years later. I will here 
give a part of the Memorial Service, which was taken down in 
shorthand, to send it to his friends in the East : 



MEMORIAL SERVICE. 

John Franklin Trippe, devoted husband of Dr. Nellie 
Beighle Trippe, of this city, passed to the higher life February 
27th. 

Preceding the last hours of his life, he lay six hours in a coma 
state and none present expected him to rally, and the Angel 
Powers that have guided Dr. Beighle in her noble work for the 
past twenty years gave her directions for the funeral — not calling 
it funeral, but reception — naming the undertakers, and asking 
that flowers be strewn on all sides and lilies line both sides of the 
hall ; and promised her, if she would bear with her sorrow and not 
grieve for her husband, he should return and be with her at all 
times out of her office hours, the same as he had been in life. 
The doctor told of all this to those about her, and, to our great 
surprise, Mr. Trippe resumed consciousness, and with such spir- 
itual brightness, and called, " My Helen, my sweetheart, my wife ! 
I have come again. I have been away and must go again, but I 
will come back in a day or two to be with you always," which 
corroborated the message given the doctor. The doctor followed 
the directions given in every particular, the casket being of white 
embossed velvet, and the numerous beautiful floral offerings sent 
in memory of the good man and in love of the doctor will long 
be remembered, as well as the cheering and beautifully spoken 
words given through the mediumship of Mrs. R. S. Lillie, and 
the closing song sung by Mr. Lillie, entitled " Something Sweet 
to Think Of," cheered many a sorrowing heart present. Thus 
another soul was called home. 



Early Life and Development. 17 

SOMETHING SWEET TO THINK OF. 

Poetry and Music by John P. Ordway, M.D. 

Something sweet to think of in this world of care, 
Tho' dear friends have left us, they bright spirits are; 
Something sweet to dream of, hark! the angels say, 
" Call them not back again, they are with you every day." 
With you in the twilight, with you night and morn, 
With you in the sunlight, with you in the storm; 
With you ever, evermore hear the angels say, 
" Call them not back again, they are with you every day." 

CHORUS. 

Something sweet to think of in this world of care, 
Tho' dear friends have left us, they bright spirits are; 
Something sweet to dream of, hark ! the angels say, 
" Call them not back again, they are with you every day." 

Something sweet to think of, a dear husband's love, 

'Twas a priceless jewel round my heart he wove, 

How I long to see him, but the angels say, 

" Call him not back again, he is with you every day." 

Blessed, sainted husband, I can see you now, 

As in days of sorrow, when you kissed my brow; 

'Tis my sweetest, dearest joy when the angels say, 

" Call him not back again, he is with you every day." 

CHORUS. 

Something sweet to think of, loved ones gone before, 

Bright and joyous spirits with us evermore. 

They are singing sweetly with the angels lay, 

" Call us not back again, we are with you every day." 

Wander not in darkness, for we send you light 

That will make you happy through both day and night. 

'Tis our blessing on you all, and with angels say, 

" Call us not back again, we are with you every day." 



CHAPTER IL 
RECORD OF SOME WONDERFUL CURES. 

When I was in the Flood Building a lady came into the office 
to see me ; when I came out of the treating-room I stepped up 
to her, and as I did so my hand was taken by the power and 
placed at her throat. She seemed so pleased and said, " Yes, 
yes, it is my throat. I was told you could cure me if I could 
only find you." I asked her if she knew it was a goiter. She 
said, " Yes, but you can cure it." Poor woman, she was 
doomed. The power told me that she would choke to death 
as it grew inside. Poor woman, she fainted when I would not 
take her. When hopeless cases come in I tell you, friends, it 
made me feel sorry and heartsick. 

One morning I was on my way down to the office, and, as 
I had a very sick patient whom I had to go to the house to treat, 
I started earlier from my home to do so. The dear Dr. Cooper 
came to me while I was on the car and said, " You had better 
go to your office now, and treat the sick man when you leave 
your office to-night." I told him I did not want to do that as 
I had an engagement and would rather go and treat the patient 
then. I never remembered another thing till I was going up 
on the elevator to my office. The doctor threw a power over 
me and took me there. When I came to myself I was in the 
elevator and a gentleman spoke to me, saying, " Is this my old 
pupil, Helen Craib ? " I recognized my old teacher, Mr. Pel- 
ton. The secret was that Mr. Pelton was without funds, and 
I had to help him. I had not seen him since I went to school 
to him. 

I had been taken out of my body a great many times, but I 
was usually taken to the higher life. Indeed, I became very 
familiar with the dear ones beyond; but one morning I went 
into my office and a gentleman was waiting for me. He looked 
so anxious that I asked him if he were sick. He said, " No, 






Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 19 

but were you sick last night ? " I answered, " No, I felt fine." 
He was a very intelligent man, holding a fine position, and had 
never been a patient. He said to me, " Well, doctor, I thought 
you were dead. Last night I went to bed, and about 10:30 I 
got up to get a drink of water; as I returned to our room I 
saw y©u in one of your white treating gowns beckoning to me. 
I was so startled that when I went into my room I said to 
my wife, ' Dr. Beighle is either dead or very ill/ Neither my 
wife nor I could sleep, and as soon as I got my coffee instead of 
going to my office I came here." (He knew nothing of spirit- 
ualism.) I tried to pass it off as a joke, but he would not have 
it that way, and begged me to take good care of myself, fear- 
ing I was going to be ill. He had not left the office an hour 
before one of the professors from the Academy of Science, 
whom I knew very well, came in and said, " Were you ill last 
night ? " I laughingly said, " Did you see me with my white 
treating gown on, with a halo over my head, beckoning you to 
come to me? " He looked so puzzled, saying, " Yes, I did see 
you that way, and I have not slept at all. I thought surely you 
were dead or ill." He had hardly got through speaking when 
a very lovely woman came in and asked me the same questions. 
I had appeared to those three people the same night, and the 
three were all intelligent people and strangers to each other. 
It pleased me very much, the God Power sending them to me 
to tell me. 

I was treating a young lady who had been very ill, and had 
been treated for consumption. She asked me one day if I 
would object to her aunt coming with her. I answered, " No, 
indeed, bring any one you choose, and take them right into 
your treating room." A few days later, when I went into her 
booth, she introduced me to her aunt. I started to treat Miss 
Fanchor when I turned to look at her aunt. I was amused to 
see a look of ridicule on her face. The Holy Doctor told me 
to show her the power. As soon as my hand touched her head 
the power took hold of her, and she was compelled to tell me 
all she had said about me. She cried so bitterly when the power 
left her. I told her it would teach her a lesson not to speak 
ill of any one she did not know. 



20 Book of Knowledge. 

Another time an old patient came into the office, bringing 
with him two friends, a lady and her husband. I was very busy, 
as usual, and did not have time to diagnose their cases that day, 
but Mr. B. asked me if I would take the time to just show them 
the power. My office was full of patients who were waiting 
for me. The lady looked horrified when she saw me in my 
white treating gown, and my arm bare to the shoulder. The 
power spoke to me about it. Well, I started to put my hand 
on her husband's head, but was quickly taken over to her. Al- 
most before you could speak the power put her in a cataleptic 
state, she being a subject. As soon as I took it off of her they 
both hurriedly left the office, much to the amusement of the 
patients who witnessed it. 

I had a lady from Honolulu under treatment, and she, too, 
asked permission to bring a friend to the office to see the power, 
remarking that all her friends were so skeptical. A few days 
later I was out in the reception room when she came in with a 
lady. As they entered the door I saw three angel forms enter 
with them. When I went into the booth the friend did not 
go in with my patient, but remained in the office. I said to 
my patient, " I see your friend is a medium." She looked at 
me and laughed, saying, " No, indeed, she is . not." I said 
mentally to the power, " Go out and control that woman." 
When I went out of the booth I stepped into the office and said 
to the lady, " Madam, I see you are a medium. Why don't you 
let your guides control you ? " Poor woman, she had to ac- 
knowledge it, telling me that they had controlled her for years, 
and she had four different phases of mediumship. I called to 
my patient and asked if she heard what her friend said. Well — 
she was dumbfounded. 

The attendant who was in the office came to me one day and 
said that two of her friends were down from her home, and that 
one was a doctor's wife. She had been telling them about the 
power the night before, and had asked them to come to the 
office, and they had just come in. She asked me if I would 
kindly show them. I stepped into the office and was introduced 
to them. The doctor's wife was a tall, handsome blonde, beauti- 
fully gowned. I put my hand on her head, when the power took 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 21 

hold of her. She pulled her bonnet off, threw it on the floor, 
saying, " She will be down on to-night's boat ; she did not get 
the telegram." I had sent three telegrams to Rio Vista for 
my little daughter to come home ; she had been visiting her 
aunt. Not getting a reply to the telegrams, I was fearful some- 
thing had happened, and perhaps Dr. Cooper did not want to 
tell me but he told me through this woman. When the lady 
came to herself she trembled from head to foot. The attendant, 
who was a doctor's daughter, said, " My friend here remarked, 
when I was telling her last night about the wonderful things 
that occurred, that she would like to see the color of any one's 
hair who could control her. She saw it. 

A lady came into the office one day and asked to see me, say- 
ing she had just come from Cincinnati. When I spoke to her 
she said she had heard of our power in Cincinnati, but had 
failed to get my address before she left. On the train she over- 
heard two gentlemen, who sat in the seat in front of her, speak- 
ing about me. One was explaining to the other our methods 
as far as he knew them. She said she leaned over and asked 
this gentleman if he would give her my address. He immedi- 
ately drew out a card and wrote my name on it. When she 
handed it to me I read the name of one of our leading lawyers, 
who had been a patient, and one whom I esteemed very highly 
for his honesty and integrity. I told Mrs. Avery, for such was 
her name, that if she could come back at four p.m. I would be 
able to see her and would give her thirty minutes. She came at 
the hour appointed. Wells, Fargo & Co.'s private detective 
was in the office at the time, and one or two others. I sat 
down in the main office to speak with her. She began by saying 
that at one time she had been quite an invalid, but had studied 
Christian Science and had become very healthy. Poor woman, 
she was then full of disease. However, after speaking a few 
minutes, I asked her what she thought of Spiritualism. She 
said that she thought Spiritualism was the seed, but Christian 
Science was the fruit. I mentally said to the power, " Prove 
that to her." I then asked her if she would like to see our 
power. She said she was anxious to, after hearing so much 
about it. I placed the hand on her head, and in an instant she 



22 Book of Knowledge. 

was under control ; not taking the brain, but one of the healers 
talked in the Egyptian language, and controlled her own hand, 
pointing out the diseased places. Then she knelt down and 
prayed. She was a very slender little woman, and with tears 
streaming from her eyes, and praying so earnestly, she made 
quite a picture. The detective said he would not have missed 
seeing her for a thousand dollars. When the power left her I 
asked her which was it, the seed or the fruit? She said in all 
her experience she had never had anything like that happen, 
and begged to be permitted to come to me again. I told her 
she could, the next day at the same hour. The detective asked 
permission to come also. The power took possession of her 
again, which pleased her very much. I then told her what to 
do to develop. When she went back to Cincinnati she wrote 
me, begging me to promise to come and visit her. 

I had under treatment a whole family. Mr. L , the hus- 
band, said to me one day, " My wife tells me you tell her some 
very funny things." I laughingly replied, " I never tell funny 
things — they may seem strange, but not funny." He said, 
" Well, doctor, / want to know something ; I have some prop- 
erty I want to sell." I said, " That is enough ; you want our 
power to find out about it for you, do you? Well, I do not 
want to know anything from you. We will ask Holy Dr. 
Cooper if he will ascertain where it is and what it is, and let me 
know when you come again." The next time he came to the 
office he was eager to know if we had heard anything. I said, 
" Not yet, but I will ask." Dear Dr. Cooper said, " The prop- 
erty he was asking about is down south, and consists of lots. 

He has owned it three years." Mr. L spoke up, and said, 

yes, it was lots, but he had bought them seven years ago. Dear 
Doctor said, " He bought them seven years ago on the install- 
ment plan, but did not finish paying for them till three years 
ago ; and tell the gentleman to hold on to them, as property all 
over the State is rising in value. There is going to be an in- 
flux of people in the State which will cause it to be so." Now, 
that was several months before the Christian Endeavorers 
came, and ever since that time there has been a continual influx 
of people in our city and State. And dear Doctor was right 
about the installment plan, too. 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 23 

Another patient, Mrs. John F. Snow, was in a bad condition 
when she came to me. The dear Dr. Cooper told her the 
power would cure her, and that she would go to the Eastern 
States three times, which she did after recovering her health. 
She went on a visit with her husband, and made two trips later. 
A friend of hers, who was under treatment several years later, 
brought me a picture from Mrs. Snow of her sister, telling me 
that Mrs. Snow had received a letter from her sister that 
morning, saying she was not very well and would I please her 
by asking Dr. Cooper if he would see what ailed her, and tell 
her what to take. I took the picture in my hand, and instantly 
an influence came over me, as though my heart was going to 
stop beating. Hearing a scream from my dear secretary, I 
looked at my fingers and the nails were black, and they said 
my mouth was, too. In a few seconds the influence left me, and 
I handed the picture back to the patient, saying, " Tell Mrs. 
Snow that her sister has just died from heart disease." When 
the news came of her death she had died at the time I held 
that picture. 

It is really wonderful how many powers can manifest through 
me. When the power is over me Holy Dr. Cooper always 
stands by me, giving me the returns from the different angel 
messengers (that is, while I am in the office), and he always 
diagnoses the cases for me. I remember one time I had a very 
critical case at the Occidental Hotel from Honolulu. One 
morning, in attending the case, a strange voice spoke to me. 
I was panic-stricken, and mentally called and begged for Dr. 
Cooper. In a short time I heard the blessed voice of Dr. 
Cooper saying, " I will remain with her to-day, and will explain 
to her to-night why I must leave her for two days. Do not be 
offended, as you know she is so used to my voice." I felt so 
relieved. Really it made me so faint. That night the Holy 
Doctor said he was compelled to leave me in the care of Dr. 
Harvey — who discovered the circulation of the blood — but 
would return as soon as possible, and to accept every word Dr. 
Harvey would give me, which I did ; and since that Dr. Harvey 
is with us many times. 

A physician came into the office to see us about his wife. It 



24 Book of Knowledge. 

seems she was spitting up a fungus growth from the stomach, 
which seemed to puzzle every physician. It was so wonderful 
to me to hear the angel Doctors in consultation. I repeated 
to the physician what I heard, and he was more wonder-stricken 
than I was. The angel physicians said there was but one case 
on record ; that the patient would live for several months, which 
she did. The earth doctor said our information would start 
him thinking about another life. 

I was treating several electricians. One of the gentlemen 
asked permission to bring another electrician just to see the 
electric power. The next day he brought him, and when I 
showed him the hand with the power I did not put my hand on 
his head, only took hold of his hand; in a few seconds, when he 
began to look so queer, I asked him if it made him sick. He 
said " No, but my head is getting as large as a barrel." I knew 
that he had been speaking against me, and the power was 
teaching him a lesson. He had to go out into the office and 
stand by an open window. My patient turned to me and said, 
" I guess he will keep his mouth shut now." I did not ask any 
questions, but I knew he would, too. 

I hope I will not tire my dear readers by telling of so many 
prophesies, but it will please my dear patients to read them. 
Were I to write all the remarkable prophesies and messages 
given I would have to write several books. 

I want to write about some of our beloved messengers who 
are famous for finding anything that is lost. I was treating the 
nephew of a very prominent lady, and she delighted in bringing 
him to the office. One day I was showing her a ring, and she 
spoke up, saying, " Oh, Doctor, I want to ask you something. 
I had two diamond rings, one with three diamonds, the other a 
solitaire. I lost them about two months ago; I have searched 
for them everywhere." I said I would call the messengers and 
ask them about it. In a few moments I was told to tell her she 
would find them in her bedroom. She did not come again till 
Wednesday, when she held up her hand with the rings. I ex- 
claimed, "You did find them?" She said, "Yes, Doctor, and 
I am so awed, and I will tell you. When I went home I told 
my sister what you said, and we both went up into my bedroom 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 25 

and locked the door and searched everywhere, even the mat- 
tresses, but did not find them (that was Monday). To-day I got 
ready to bring my nephew over, and was hurrying so as not to 
miss the train. I left my nephew on the steps and ran up to 
my bedroom. Right by my bureau, on the wall, was hanging 
a tiny basket and back of it was a photo of a friend. I grabbed 
the picture and began to wonder if I were losing my senses 
when something took hold of my arm and my fingers went into 
the little basket and picked out my rings. I was dumbfounded. 
I ran downstairs and showed them to my sister. We both right 
there and then thanked the God-power, for we knew our boy 
would get well." Now, had this lady come over and told me 
she did not find the rings, I never would have called on the 
messengers again; but they proved their work to me as well as 
to her. Another little lady was telling me that she had lost a 
very valuable pin, and had accused her Chinese boy of taking 
it. The messenger said, " Tell her to look in the bottom drawer 
of her bureau, that is, between the drawer and the bureau, and 
she will find it stuck into a lace collar." She did find it exactly 
as the messenger told me. 

I have had so much proof of the angel power, coming through 
so many different channels, that this world, while beautiful, 
seems so limited compared to that of the life beyond. I have 
lived more in that life than I have in this since the God-power 
has been with me. Of course every one whose work is before 
the public, his or her private life is in the hands of the public 
as well as their professional work. I want to say to my dear 
readers that I do not think that psychics should ever speculate 
or do anything outside of their mediumship. I know whenever 
I have done so it has been against the wishes of my God-power. 
I have been told by the power that I must not speculate in any- 
thing ; but sometimes I would, and it would always be a failure. 
I have never realized a dollar from property, speculation, or any 
human being, only what I have earned through my God-given 
power; and I have taken care of many a family outside of my 
own during the last twenty years since I have had a practise. 
Indeed, many times I have taken from my dear children to give 
to those whom I thought needed it, and my beloved children 



26 Book oj Knowledge. 

were always willing I should. I have had those whom I have 
helped (I do not mean with a few dollars, but with many, many 
of them) turn around and abuse me to others, but " some- 
where " they will make amends. 

Our power of diagnosis is certainly very wonderful, for I hear 
every word about the patient; just the same, dear reader, as you 
hear through the telephone, only mine comes from the life be- 
yond and yours comes from the earth. Charley Farnham, a 
pure soul, whom I knew when I was a little girl, is the one who 
is " central " for my telephone, and no power can speak to me 
except Holy Doctor Cooper, unless he calls me, not even my 
Sacred Mother. So you can all see how wonderfully I am pro- 
tected. I have hundreds and hundreds of healers with me daily, 
many times the power changing several times for the one 
treatment. I am so used to the changing that I do not notice 
it as the patients do. Every ninety-eight out of a hundred are 
what we call blistered for want of a better name, for it is not at 
all like a blister, but the worst corruption comes out of the 
body ; one wonders where it all comes from. Some people who 
don't know say I scratch them. How foolish they would be to 
come and pay me the price they do! Why not scratch them- 
selves? The fact is, there is not a human being, outside of our 
power, that can produce these sores. There never were two 
blisters alike on any patient, nor were there any two treatments 
alike. Some people say, and doctors, too, that I put croton oil 
on my hand and fingers. If it will produce such terrible look- 
ing blisters and ulcers, what would it do to my hand? My hand 
is just as soft as any lady's who never did any work, and I wear 
5 J^-sized gloves. I run my hand in all the poisonous sores. God 
and the angels gave me the power, and He alone can take care 
of me. When any one undertakes to explain it outside of a 
God-power they show their ignorance. I knew Dr. Pardee, 
ex-Mayor of Oakland, very well before my marriage, and visited 
his first wife. A friend of his was under treatment, and Dr. 
Pardee, not remembering my married name, did not know it 
was I who was the healer. He told his friend that he was 
being fooled, that of course I had croton oil on my fingers. I 
told my patient to take my book, called the " Little Doctor," 




CHARLEY FARNIIAM. 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 27 

written by J. J. Owen, and show him my picture. When the 
doctor recognized the picture he took back everything he had 
said about me, and he and his family went under treatment prior 
to my going away. One day in the office I called him into a 
booth to see a gentleman treated and blistered. I asked Dr. 
Pardee if I should have croton oil on my fingers would I injure 
the gentleman if I put them in his eyes. He looked aghast, 
saying, " You would blind him." I immediately put my fingers 
in his eyes saying, " Well, I cannot have croton oil on my 
ringers as you thought." He turned and looked at me and said, 
" Did that man tell you everything I said about you? " I told 
him, " Yes, every word." 

I am going to give some engravings of the ulcers, also 
blisters, and will explain them to you, dear readers. 

So many people, even intelligent people, call our power " mas^ 
sage," and a rub or rubbing, but the soul people, I don't care 
what religion they adhere to, realize the God-power and hold 
it in holiness. I used to feel like resenting it when they would 
come in and say they wanted a massage or a rub. Well, the 
Holy Doctor would tell me never to mind, but consider the 
source. They did not know any better. Does massage enter 
the inner system and bring out such loathsome corruption? 
Does rubbing do it? Just think, my dear friends, those who 
have had the privilege of being treated, so many come to the 
office in lovely attire, but I do not often see their clothes ; I do 
see and read their souls, and see the corruption of the body. I 
want to show you, dear readers, how correct the power is in 
diagnosing by hair. A gentleman came into the office one day 
and handed me a letter, remarking, " Now, I do not know where 
this comes from, or who wrote it, but was told to hand it to 
you." I saw that it was a sealed letter, and told him if there 
was hair inside he must open it, and I would turn my back and 
he would place it in my hand, as I had to touch the hair to get 
the examination. He did so, when the Holy Doctor told me 
that it belonged to a gentleman, and he was in another country 
from ours, and if he was not dead then he would be in a very 
short time. The gentleman said the letter contained a five 
dollar bill and wished me to take it, which I did not, as I never 



2 8 Book of Knowledge. 

charged for examining hair. Three weeks later the gentle- 
man's wife came into the office. She told me that her sister in 
Canada had sent the sealed letter to her, and that morning she 
had received an answer to what was told me, and it was so cor- 
rect. She herself did not know till that morning that the hair 
was taken from the head of an old gentleman friend who was 
ill, and when the information was received by her sister the man 
was dead. 

Another case which I will tell you of was this : I was belated 
one morning getting to the office, and found a good many 
patients were waiting in their booths for me, but my dear sec- 
retary said that there was a gentleman waiting in the main office 
for me, and he had been there ever since the office opened. I 
went in to see him, and he said he had been travelling quite a 
distance to get me to examine some hair. He was a very in- 
telligent-looking gentleman, and looked like a man of means. 
He asked if I would only examine the hair then, so he could 
return home. I did not wait to change my clothes but took 
him into the examining room. As soon as I touched the hair 
Holy Doctor said, " This hair belongs to a woman, and she will 
be in this life before many hours." I told the gentleman what 
I heard, and he said it did belong to a woman, but she was not 
in bed — sick. Doctor then said to me, " They have been giving 
her four different kinds of medicine, but it is not fit for her to 
take." The gentleman said, " Yes, she had four different 
bottles of medicine." Holy Doctor told me again that she could 
not live in the body but a few hours. I asked the doctor what 
relation she was to this man, and he said, " She is his wife," 
which was true. I heard of the case several months later 
through a relative of this man. I Was told that when the gentle- 
man returned from my office his wife met him at the door and 
asked if he had seen me. Before he could say anything to her 
she expired in his arms. Again Holy Doctor was right. 

Several years ago one of our prominent men of this city 
brought a gentleman to the office to consult me about his case. 
He was suffering from what is called " The Printer's Cramp." 
He was some high personage from Europe. When I examined 
him the Holy Doctor Cooper said it was his liver. He disputed 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 29 

that and said his liver was all right. Mr. W , my patient, 

said, " Dr. Beighle gets her diagnoses through a spiritual 
power." He looked so disgusted and remarked, " There is not 
anything the matter with my liver, and I do not believe in such 
stuff. I want my arm treated and that is all." I said, " Well, 
did you ever investigate the subject of Spiritualism? " He said, 
" No, nor do I want to." " Well," I said, " you ought to be in- 
telligent enough not to pass an opinion on something you know 
nothing about. But if you want your arm treated, I will, 
through the Holy Power, treat you, but we could not cure you 
without treating the cause, and that is the liver." 

He went under the treatment for the arm. One day, two 
weeks later, while treating him, he asked me if I knew a Mr. 

A , who was in with one of the largest firms here and at 

the Sandwich Islands. I answered, " Yes." He said he was 
talking to him about his arm, and that I was helping him so 

much. He then remarked that Mr. A thought so much of 

me and it pleased him to hear him praise me as he did, saying 
now he knew he would get well; and he also knew that Mr. 

W and his good wife thought so much of me, but he had 

come to the conclusion that I had charmed them in some way; 

but when he heard Mr. A speak the same way he felt very 

pleased. I told him to tell Mr. A that I would not cure him 

because he would not let me treat the cause. 

As this gentleman was going to the Islands when he left 

me, I asked Mr. W if he would let me know how he got 

along, and he said he would. Four months later Mr. W 

called at my home one night to tell me that his friend had 
returned from the Islands very sick and had died at the Palace 
Hotel. An autopsy being held, they found his liver putrid. His 
liver being diseased and going down in that hot country just 
finished his career here. 

I was treating a gentleman and his wife. The gentleman 
was on the staff of the Call, and they told me about a young 
dentist who boarded at the same place they did who had been 
dissecting a human body and had poisoned his fingers, the body 
being poisoned in some way, and it had affected him in such a 
way that his fingers were a sight. He wanted to know if I 



30 Book of Knowledge. 

could do anything for him. I told him I would ask Holy Dr. 
Cooper if anything could be done. If he would come to the 
office I would look into his case. Well, the next day he came, 
and it was the first and the only time in my life that I was ever 
afraid of handling any poisonous disease. Dr. Cooper said in my 
ear, " Take hold of his hand. What are you afraid of, child? " 
I did take hold of his ringers and was told to take the case. 
Now remember, he was poisoned from dissecting a poisoned 
human body. Who would have dared to handle such poison 
without the God-power was with them? I treated his ringers 
for two weeks and they showed signs of improvement. Dr. 
Cooper told me to have the young man, at his own room, put 
his hand and fingers in salt water night and morning. So after 
five or six weeks' treatment, all who saw the fingers were 
amazed at the result. The young man said he thought the salt 
water was curing him. Dr. Cooper spoke to me and said, 
" This is Tuesday ; tell the gentleman not to come until Friday 
or Saturday, and tell him to use the salt water as he has been 
doing." He came Friday, and of all the looking fingers! I 
asked him if he had used the salt water and he said he had used 
it diligently. We cured that case. He had been under all the 
best physicians, and one physician who was here from New 
York, and who was very noted, had given him salves and good- 
ness knows what else before I treated him. This physician was so 
astonished when he found the young man was cured, and asked 
him if the salves had done the work. He said " No," he had 
used them faithfully but without effect. Then he told him about 
me. The doctor scratched his head and remarked that there 
were some things they didn't know. 

I heard from the young man three years later, and he had 
an office and had quite a practise, but / never saw him after we 
cured him. 

Years ago, when President Garfield was shot, all the papers 
said he was getting better, and would again take his seat in 
the White House. Doctor Worsham called to see me one day. 
He said something about Spiritualism ; he being a skeptic, I 
was surprised to hear him mention the subject. He asked if 
the spirits said anything about Garfield's case. I said " No," 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 31 

I had never asked them, but I would right away, and that I 
wanted his opinion first. His answer was he knew that Presi- 
dent Garfield would get well; he knew from reading about his 
condition. Well, I asked my Sacred Mother about him. The 
answer came, " He will pass to the higher life the latter part 
of September." Dr. Worsham laughed heartily and said, 
" Why, child, President Garfield will surely recover ; all the 
physicians think so." He did pass away the latter part of Sep- 
tember, just as I was told. 

Dr. Worsham said : " I want to buy some stock. Which is 
the best to buy?" The answer given to me was: "He has 
already bought his stock and has it in his pocket, and it will not 
amount to a row of pins." He turned pale and remarked: 
" There must be something in it." 

Mr. Beighle, my husband, had always been opposed to Spirit- 
ualism; so much so that I would never speak about it before 
him. During the city election he came home one night all 
upset about it, and asked me why I did not ask the spirits which 
way it was going, and that if they knew anything they could 

tell me. Next morning I said to my dear friend, Mrs. N , 

who had the house with me, " Let us sit down and see if I can 
find out about it." My Sacred Mother wrote through my hand 
and said, " The city will go Republican strong." When Mr. 
Beighle came home that night I told him, he being a Repub- 
lican. He looked so disgusted, and said, " Don't you know the 
city has been Democratic for about twenty-three years? That 
is just as much as they know about it." It did go Republican, 
much to the surprise of all, and again my Sacred Mother was 
correct. 

I recall to my memory a case of a lady who had been in ill- 
health for a number of years. She had been to a good many 
physicians but received no benefit. She had been ill so long 
that she was about to give up in despair when she heard of the 
power in my arm and came to me. When Holy Dr. Cooper 
told me what the trouble was, and also something of her past 
life, she concluded to take the treatment. Dr. Cooper said 
there was an ulcer on the kidney. After she had treated a 
while, I told her to remain home, and even if it were in the night 



32 Book of Knowledge. 

I would go to her. I was very busy in the office, and many were 
waiting for engagements, so I told her she could give her place 
in the office to one who was waiting, and I would not charge her 
extra to go to her. I also told her the Powers would tell me 
when it was time to go to her ; she need not send for me. One 
night, a week later, I began to get ready to retire when Holy 
Dr. Cooper came to me and said, " Get ready ; you must go with 

me to Mrs. W ; she is very sick." I had a sister visiting me 

who came from Manitoba, and who is a strong Presbyterian. 
I went into her room and asked her if she would go with me 
to see the lady. She answered, " Certainly," but she asked me 
who came after me. I told her the Holy Doctor had just told 
me; she looked so incredulous and looked at her watch. It was 
eleven o'clock. I could not help laughing at the way she looked 
at me. Well, we started out and I found the place. It was in 
a lodging-house south of Market Street, and I remember I rang 
the bell and was told the lady's room was on the third floor. 
Sister felt very nervous, but I found the room. I heard some 
one talking, so I rapped and was told to come in. My patient 
was indeed sick, but overjoyed when she saw me. She said, 
" Oh, Doctor, they wanted me to send for you, but I would not ; 
I knew the Holy Power would tell you about me ; I knew you 
would come." There were two ladies in the room besides my 
patient — one, a friend who was taking care of her, the other 
lady said she was a magnetic healer. As soon as I looked 
at the patient's back I was surprised that she had not sent for 
me herself. Her back was black, and so swollen. When I 
laid the hand on her, well, the corruption that came out would 
surely have filled a large bowl. The " healer " said she felt so 
sick looking at it. I laughed, and asked her if she called her- 
self a healer. She said she did, but never saw anything like 
that. 

The patient became a very healthy woman. 

I had a young lady from Vallejo for a patient who was a 
very sick girl, but she began to improve after going under our 
treatment. The family were well pleased with her improve- 
ment and were talking about returning home. One night the 
young patient and her sister (who helped her mother take care 







CASE OF CHRONIC SICK HEADACHE. 
Ulcer" through which corruption was drawn from the body. 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 33 

of her) started out of the office quite late, about six o'clock. 
Their rooms were only three or four blocks from the office. 
The sister put the patient on a car, and she started to walk. 
All but the McAllister Street cars pass their rooms, and not 
knowing that, the sister put the patient on the McAllister Street 
car. Poor child when she found out she was on the wrong 
car she tried to get off, and it being at the time in the evening 
when the trucks and teams were going home, she was knocked 
down by one. The sister coming along quickly saw the crowd, 
and with a terrible foreboding ran across to see what the trouble 
was, when, to her amazement, she found her sick sister. She 
got her to her room, and they were afraid to tell their mother 
of the accident, but she told her that her head ached and asked 
to have it bathed. The next morning the sister came to my 
office and, before she told me, begged of me if she told me 
something not to tell her mother, and she then told me about 
it. Well, I was placed so that I could not break my word. I 
went up to see the patient as soon as I closed the office, and I 
was astonished to see the change in the sick girl. She always 
called me her " sweetheart doctor," so when I went in she told 
me that she had a priest come to see her, and was it all right. 
I saw that her nerves were terribly shattered, and looked at her 
closely and said I would send her a nurse who was with me to 
take care of her. Dinner was ready when I returned to my 
home, and as I do not eat anything all day, I sat down to dinner 
before I telephoned to a doctor. I hurriedly ate my meal, and 
'phoned for Dr. Barrett. He said he would come right away, 
and asked me what the trouble was. I told him, when he said 
he guessed he would not go as he was going to perform an 
operation. Then I 'phoned for a Dr. Beilhle in the same build- 
ing where I had my office. He said " Yes," he would come 
right away, but when he asked me what the trouble was and I 
told him, he remembered right away that he had a pressing en- 
gagement. Well, there I was — I had only God's diploma, and 
that did not count when it was necessary to sign a certificate. 
(I had so few pass out of the body that I did not require any 
one to sign a certificate for me, and ninety-five out of a hundred 
who came to me were so near dead that it was a question who 
3 



34 Book of Knowledge. 

should get the case, the undertaker or us.) I did not know 
what to do. In a little while I was called to the telephone by 
my nurse to send a doctor right over. In a few moments I 
was called again by a member of the family who resided in the 
city to send a doctor, as he thought his cousin was dying. I 
told him I had been trying to get one, but not one would come, 
and he would have to call one in. The dear girl passed out of 
the body that night. I offered up a prayer that the " Power " 
would send me some physician that I could have to be with me 
if ever I was placed in such a position again. A few evenings 
later Mrs. Mollie Smith asked me if she could bring Dr. J. B. 
Mitchell and his wife to call on me and see our power. I told 
her I would be home and would be pleased to see them. She 
said she wanted me to know the doctor, as he was such an hon- 
orable man. They came, and spent the next evening with us. 
After showing him the power, I invited him to the office to see 
some of the worst cases we had. He came, and became greatly 
interested in our work. Some time later I had a very bad case 
and I was told by Holy Doctor Cooper to have Dr. Mitchell 
with me, not to give them medicine, but to better satisfy the 
patient's friends in case of death. The patient recovered, but 
Dr. Mitchell has been with me in many cases since. He is one 
of the most honorable, conscientious men I ever knew, and I 
know that with all his patients he is their friend as well as doctor. 
Thank God he is not ready to operate on all occasions, and he 
does not give you such strong medicine as to injure you. His 
office in the Donohoe Building, Market and Taylor Streets, is 
as clean as the doctor himself. Thank God! There are some 
conscientious men in the profession, and he is one of them. He 
and his good wife are among my dear friends. 

Mr. J. M. Wallis, an old patient who was in the bank, came 
to my office one day imploring me to ask Dr. Cooper if he was 
going to lose his position, as they were making so many 
changes. I told him to come the next day and Holy Doctor 
would find out. When he came I told him that Dr. Cooper 
said he would not lose his position in the bank, but he would 
be promoted to a higher one and that he would hold it as long 
as he needed one. He said, " Oh, doctor, I am afraid Dr. 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 35 

Cooper did not look into it, because every one is so upset at 
the bank. Indeed, doctor, I would be glad if I could keep my 
old position." Well, he did get a higher position and retained 
it till he passed on to the other life, which was a few years later. 
When he went on his yearly vacation, at the country place he 
went to, he was taken ill and died. Dr. Cooper was again right. 

I was treating a lady from one of the interior towns. She 
had been an invalid for many years, and a nurse who was called 
to attend her told her about me. The nurse brought her to the 
office, and being satisfied with the diagnosis, she went under 
treatment. She was getting along so well, and expected to 
return home in a week or two. One day she was sitting in the 
office when I saw a large coffin come from the floor, apparently, 
and get into her lap. I told her what I saw, and she said per- 
haps it was her father. That was on Friday. Monday morning 
she was dead. I had warned her not to touch morphine again 
as the penalty would be death. It seems on Sunday she heard 
some bad news and, being nervous, took the morphine; the 
result was she passed to the other life. 

A gentleman came into the office one day to consult me. 
He said an old patient had told him about me. After I had 
examined him he turned and asked me where the above-men- 
tioned gentleman was. Knowing that my patient had a good 
many enemies, as his name and business were public, I did not 
answer. I had not seen him for a year or more. The gentle- 
man said, " I am a friend of Mr. F ." I said, " Yes, but 

you are a stranger to me. I will ask my Power if you are a 
friend." Dr. Cooper answered me and said he would tell me 
in about fifteen minutes. I went and attended to a patient, and 
when the fifteen minutes were up, Dr. Cooper told me that Mr. 

F had been up north, and that the gentleman would shake 

hands with him in a few hours. At four o'clock that afternoon 
the gentleman telephoned me that he was then shaking hands 
with Mr. F . 

They both became my dear friends afterwards. 

A gentleman called at my office to see if I could go out and 
examine his sister. She had been brought home from St. Luke's 
Hospital, where she had been for a long time ; but the disease 



36 Book of Knowledge. 

she had been doctored for had turned and taken the symptoms 

of insanity. The gentleman, Mr. C , who was on the police 

force, knowing some friends whom we had cured, was very 
anxious to have me see his sister, so I drove out to see her 
one evening and made an examination. I found the lady's 
limbs so powerless that her nurse could not put stockings nor 
shoes on her. After I placed my hand on her my Holy Doctor 
told me her condition and what was really the disease. So her 
husband and brother asked me if I would take the case. I said, 
" Yes," I would take her, providing they would take her to the 
office. They were only too willing to do that, and promised to 
bring her the next day. 

After I left the house that night the husband of the lady 
asked the nurse who attended her if she did not think I was 
very wonderful. She said indeed she could treat, too, if she 
could wear a tailor-made suit, ride in a carriage and get plenty 
of good things to eat. Well, I laughed when I heard it, having 
heard before so many ridiculous things about the power. 

They did carry her up every day and we did cure her, and 
the " tailor-made suit, carriage and good things to eat " did not 
do it either. That was over three years ago, and to-day she can 
walk as well as anyone and with brain perfectly clear. 

Mr. Cullinor, the lady's brother, lives on the corner of Post 
and Devisidero Streets, San Francisco. 

A few years ago one of the Episcopal ministers came to the 
office to see about taking treatments. He was very old and 
feeble, and all we could do for him was to give him strength 
to help him until he was called to the higher life; and I told 
him that seeing he had been teaching the word of God I would 
gladly give him the treatments. His dear wife came with him 
every day, and he was very well pleased, saying, when he came 
into the office, that he wanted more of the Holy Power. We 
gave him the treatments for quite a while and, feeling so much 
better, he concluded he would go away and visit his son. 

Some two or three months later his wife came to ask me if 
I was going to Berkeley very soon, as her husband was so 
anxious to have another treatment; he being too feeble after 
his trip to his son to come to me. I told her I was going over 




ILLUSTRATION OF "BLISTER" IN CURING CASE OF RECTAL 

TROUBLE. 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 37 

to my daughter's the next night for dinner; but to please him 
I would take my dinner in the city and then go over; which I 
did, taking a carriage at my own expense, disappointing my 
precious daughter, paying extra for my dinner — all of which I 
did most gladly. Well, we went to the minister's house and 
treated him. After I got through the old gentleman got out 
and knelt down by his bedside and prayed earnestly, asking God 
if he did right to let me treat him, as I was a Spiritualist. The 
whole scene was so ridiculous that I could not help laughing. 
I told him not to worry ! I thought God would forgive him and 
would not punish him for it. The laughable part was — he got 
his treatment before he thought of asking God if it were wrong. 
Imagine what a large soul he had. Why, I did more charity 
work in a week than he did in a year. 

I had another Episcopal minister from Oakland who came 
to put himself under our care. When I diagnosed his case he 
said he was well pleased and would take the treatment, but he 
did not draw his salary until the first of the month, and that 
was three weeks hence ; and if I would trust him till then it 
would be such an accommodation to him. I told him " Yes," 
seeing he was a minister of the Gospel, and his word was good, 
I would break my rules and let him do so. He took the treat- 
ment all right. He had asthmatic conditions and choked from 
it. The first time he had it in the office I asked him if he would 
object to taking a little good whiskey. He said, " No, indeed," 
he would be glad to take it; and I found later on that the 
choking continued until the whiskey gave out. After that he 
got along all right. The three weeks lengthened into nearly 
five, and the " Reverend " never mentioned money. I told 
my secretary to speak to him about it, which she did. He then 
spoke to me and said he would like to pay me, but as I had not 
helped him he did not feel like paying for it; and that he was 
going to be married the next day, but after he came back from 
his wedding trip he would come and take treatments again, 
and then, if it helped him, he would pay for it. I said, " Oh, 
no; you will not take any more treatments from me." He 
replied, " Oh, yes, indeed I will, doctor." I said, " No, indeed, 



38 Book of Knowledge. 

if you paid a million dollars a treatment you could not have 
another treatment from me. You have broken your word." 

The very next day I received a letter from an old patient 
(the letter is still in my desk) saying she had just found out 

that the Rev. Dr. L , of Oakland, was under our treatment ; 

that all his friends noticed how much better he was looking, but 
did not know with whom he was doctoring till that day, when 
she heard he was with me. 

I have had some pretty severe lessons from so many sources. 
One lady, whose husband was one of the pillars of the Baptist 
Church, asked permission to let her bill run for a month or two. 
She, too, was very devout. Well, one day she came into the 
office, showing me some purchases she had made which were 
not only handsome but expensive. I remarked to her that I 
would have to draw on her for some money right away. She 
said she was going to tell me before she went out of the office 
that her husband concluded I was a fraud and did not intend to 
pay me. The powers told me her husband gave her the money 
to pay the bill, and I heard the same from a friend of hers ; but 
she had taken it and bought her things with it. Somewhere she 
will pay the debt and with interest. 

Not alone have different members of the various churches 
acted dishonestly, but some calling themselves Spiritualists have 
done some very unkind things. For instance : I closed the 
office for a month for a much needed rest. While I was away 
a lady came down from Oregon expecting to go under treat- 
ment. Not finding me in the office she went to see a magnetic 
healer, a lady who had her card out before the public. This 
lady asked the healer if she knew me. She said she did. The 
lady asked her if I had the wonderful power that they were all 
talking about. She said, " Don't you believe it. I know the 
man well who put up her wires." When I returned the lady 
came to me and told me. I laughingly remarked that I was 
so glad she was so well acquainted with God Almighty, for He 
was the only one who put up my wires ; and I proved it to the 
lady to her satisfaction. 

The mediums are not very charitable to one another, and 
that is the reason why I have given them all a wide berth. 



Record of Some Wonder Jul Cures. 39 

A lady came into the office to see me about her husband to 
make an appointment to have him examined. While she was 
speaking, Sir Astley Cooper, my Holy Doctor, said, " This 
lady's husband has had a shock which has greatly injured his 
kidneys, his kidneys being a little affected before the shock, but 
he can be cured." The lady said she lived in Oakland and that 
six years previously her husband had been sandbagged one 
night coming home, and that he had ever since been a great 
sufferer. For a few days he would feel quite well, and then in 
a few moments he would lose his senses and often wandered 
away from home for days at a time. Then he would recover 
from that, feeling quite well again, and in a few moments again 
it would come upon him, affecting his limbs so he would fall 
and become perfectly helpless. It would last quite a long time 
— sometimes for weeks. All this had been going on for six 
long years — an eternity to her. She said that when it affected 
the brain the doctors treated the brain ; and when it affected the 
limbs they treated the limbs ; and that his case had been written 
up in all the papers as one of the very peadiar cases. Next day 
she and his father brought him to my office, and as he was 
placed on the operating table, I turned and looked at his father, 
and he had such a peculiar, skeptical look on his face that I 
remarked, "You do not believe in this, do you?" He said, 
" No, I do not." I then said, " What would you say if we 
should cure your son?" He replied, "Well, I would worship 
you." I laughingly said, " Begin right away, as I will not only 
cure him, but before three years have transpired I will cure you." 
He said, '" Oh, no, I am too healthy a man." Well, I did cure 
the son, and within a week or two of the three years we saved 
the father's life when seven of Oakland's best physicians gave 
him up to die. We proved that the Holy Doctor knew what 
was in the future for him. Both gentlemen were well-known 
business men in Oakland. When Mr. Henry Conklin, jr., came 
and begged me to go to his father, saying, " You must come, 
as you said in three years you would save his life, and the doc- 
tors now say he has but a few hours to live," we did go, and with 
the Holy Power did save him and he became a well man again. 
But right here I must tell you that the leading doctor whom he 



40 Book of Knowledge. 

had through his sickness said that he could have blistered him 
too, but that he did not want to hurt him. 

I think, dear reader, I hear you ask why I did not go to him 
in the beginning. They did come after me, but the prophecy 
had to be fulfilled by saving his life without earthly medicine — 
all being done through my hand, controlled by the God-power. 

The result is what talks, not only in this case but in thou- 
sands of others. 

I want to speak to you about another case of a gentleman 
who came to consult us. I say us — the Holy Dr. Cooper and 
Healers, who are ever with me when I am around the sick, I 
being the engine and they the engineers. This gentleman was 
one of the worst cripples from rheumatism, as he called it. We 
ascertained what organ was affecting the muscles, and how long 
he had had the disease, and how it began. He looked stolid, said 
nothing and went away. In the afternoon of the same day 
he returned and said that he would take the treatment, as he 
had consulted and treated with so many physicians and not one 
had told him what I had, he being a total stranger to me; 
and that if I could tell him so much about himself, recalling to 
him things of years gone by, he thought I certainly could cure 
him. He was a man of means, and had been crippled so ter- 
ribly you could hardly realize that he ever had been like other 
men. He was an educated man, and while treating him he 
would argue, in fact, about everything. He told me he was 
bitter against Spiritualism — so much so that when one doctor 
whom he had claimed to be a Spiritualist, and when he found it 
out he settled his bill. Now I tell you I had to keep the Holy 
Doctor close to me when this gentleman was being treated so 
I could answer him back in all his arguments. The result was 
that he not only got well and could walk as well as any other 
man, but he told me that whenever he would hear Spiritualism 
mentioned he would lift his hat in reverence and think of the 
dearest little woman and doctor on earth. I tell you I thought 
we had indeed accomplished a great deal. He was such a 
worthy man, and a man whose opinion would convert many to 
the higher life. I will give you his letter to me when he left. 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 41 

San Jose, Cal., April 25, 1896. 

Dear Dr. Beighle : — I have no disposition to obtrude myself 
upon your notice, for I well know that every moment of your 
time is taken. I cannot resist the inclination, however, to 
venture a few words just to tell you how well I am feeling". 
I do this because I know it will give you pleasure, for I believe 
you really rejoice as greatly over the recovery of a patient as 
the patient does himself. I am just doing splendidly, doctor. 
In fact, I can't tell you how well I am feeling; but suffice it to 
say that everything has assumed couleur de rose, and I now feel 
new interest in life. This, too, in spite of the protracted dis- 
agreeable weather. It has rained almost continuously ever 
since I left the city. I have not seen the sky until this morning. A 
small patch of blue is now visible, perhaps about enough to make 
a pair of pants ; certainly not enough to make a pair of modern 
feminine sleeves, but it gives promise of growing, and I con- 
fidently expect some bright weather. As soon as the weather 
will permit making the trip comfortably, I expect to visit Mt. 
Hamilton and take a peep at other worlds through the great 
Lick telescope. 

Will probably return to the city next week, and expect to 
take the next steamer thereafter for Portland, unless upon ex- 
amination the " Boss " deems further treatment necessary, 
which I scarcely think will be the case. 

Please retain all mail that may come for me, and believe me, 
Sincerely and gratefully yours, 

John Thomison. 

A gentleman from Sacramento who was under our treat- 
ment was suffering with stomach trouble to such an extent that 
he could not eat anything (really if it were not for his jolly dis- 
position he never would have lived to come under our treat- 
ment), and he used to make all kinds of remarks about Spirit- 
ualism. One day I took him to task, asking him if he did not 
know that I was a Spiritualist. He replied, " I think you are 
wonderfully gifted, just as one would be in music or in paint- 
ing/' He said, " Look here, Doctor, I know what I am talking 
about. I have been around to see many of your so-called 



42 Book of Knowledge. 

mediums, and there is not one that I have been to that I cannot 
take out to dinner, and take them home just when I please." 
These words fell like a thunderbolt, and I began to look into it 
and found that indeed it was too true. Right here, I wish to 
say a word about the psychic, the medium, the instrument that 
God has selected to bring these truths before the world. 

Dear reader and friends, did it ever occur to you how you 
treat your mediums? A minister of any denomination is paid 
a salary large enough to keep him in plenty, and to take a vaca- 
tion to Europe if he desires to go. How about your mediums, 
whom the people turn to for consolation? How are they paid? 
Perhaps twenty-five cents, fifty cents, or one dollar, if all the 
information is satisfactory. If not, not anything. Do you ever 
find mediums who are rich, and who can afford to drive in their 
carriages? No, most of them live in a few rooms, and either 
have children or some one whom they have to care for. Then 
comes the temptation to make up something for the one seeking 
information. Dear readers, why don't the Spiritualists — the 
rich ones — salary their mediums as other denominations do? 
Place them in a position where they will not be tempted to sell 
their souls for bread and butter ; and I know there is not one of 
them to-day but would be as pure as the day they were born. 
But no, our rich spiritualists are like Micawber in David 
Copperfield — always waiting for something to turn up. 

I have heard them say (as I know a few of them) that they 
were in a speculation, and if it turned out well they were going 
to build a temple, and they were going to place the mediums 
where they ought to be. The speculation turning out all right, 
they would put that away and wait for another good turn of 
fortune ; and so it has been going on for twenty odd years to 
my knowledge. 

Again we will turn to Mr. Sawyer, the gentleman who had 
such a poor opinion of mediums in general; one day he was say- 
ing something funny, as he thought, about the higher power, 
when suddenly the Holy Doctor told me to tell him that before 
two years would pass he would come to me begging for infor- 
mation from the angel world. He laughed and said, " I guess 
not." Two years later, within a week or two, Mr. Sawyer came 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 43 

to my office with his son (he had one son and a daughter), and 
when I saw him I exclaimed at his changed appearance. With 
tears streaming from his eyes he said, " Your prophesy is ful- 
filled. I want a message from the spirit world." I said, " What 
has happened, Mr. Sawyer?" He replied, " Oh, my daughter, 
Doctor, my beautiful daughter whom I used to talk to you about 
is dead, and I want to hear from her. You know I told you 
when I was here before that she was going to be married. She 
did marry, and when her child was born she died, and my 
heart is almost broken. I have come to you to open the door 
so that she may speak to me." Poor man, the prophesy came 
true sure enough. Well, I sent him to a strange medium whom 
I knew received messages from the higher life, and one whom 
he could not take out to dinner. To-day he raises his hat in 
reverence to Spiritualism. The one being on earth that he 
loved had to go on her journey to open the door for him. 

Mr. Stratton, a gentleman whom we have cured, and whose 
daughter we went to see in Berkeley, came to my office one day 
bringing with him the Reverend Dr. T , one of the Method- 
ist ministers of Oakland, and one of a number of ministers who 
had reprimanded Mr. Stratton for coming to me, a Spiritualist. 
But Mr. Stratton told them at the time they had no better 
woman in their congregation than Dr. Nellie Beighle. And 
when they found out how well he was from the treatment, quite 
a number of the congregation came to me for treatment too, 
also the leading minister's wife. Mr. Stratton came into my 
office and sent word into the operating rooms by the attendant 
that he would like to see me as soon as possible, as the Rev. 

Dr. T wanted to have his wife examined. As soon as I 

found time I called them into the examining room. Mr. Strat- 
ton introduced me to them. Dr. T addressed me, saying, 

" Dr. Beighle, I am not at all surprised, after seeing you, that 
you have this wonderful power that I hear spoken of. You 
are a woman of fine physique and very healthy." I asked him if 
he thought the power emanated from me. He said he did. I 

replied, " Dr. T , if this holy power emanated from me I 

would be proud to receive an introduction to the Rev. Dr. 
T ." I washed my hands before them. While doing so I 



44 Book of Knowledge. 

asked the Holy Powers to diagnose the doctor's case before his 
wife, and to give me something about his past life that would 
astonish him. When I finished I started to examine his wife ; he 
turned to her and said, " I know now it is not from Dr. Beighle." 

When I got through examining Mrs. T , Dr. T said, 

" Dr. Beighle, if all Spiritualists were like you I should want to 
be one." I told him if he would show me a good Spiritualist, 
man or woman, he would show me a good man or woman. 
The church members looked at the chaff and not at the wheat, 
and I thought we did the same with their churches. I had but 
one religion, and that was " to do unto others as I would have 
them do unto me." This power was God's law; a knowledge, 
not alone a religion. 

It ended by all his family treating with me. 



LITTLE NORMA DEARBORN. 

One day, a few years ago, a gentleman and a lady entered 
my office, the gentleman carrying a little girl of about seven 
years of age. Her little leg was all fastened up in irons. The 
lady said she wanted me to see what was the matter with the child. 
When we examined her we found the leg withered and about 
three inches or more shorter than the other. The shoes she 
had on were shoes that go with such irons. I told them that 
we would take the case, but we would have to take the irons 
right off, and they must get shoes for walking. The poor 
father and mother looked bewildered, but I told them that the 
Holy Powers said they must do so if they wished to put her 
under our treatment. I left the room for a short time, and 
upon returning they said they had decided to let us take charge 
of her. The physicians who had had charge of her, and they 
had many, treated her leg, saying the disease was there; but 
the Holy Power said it was in her kidneys, and after three or 
four months' treatment through the power in my hand, without 
any earthly medicine, she was cured; and to-day, which is sev- 
eral years since we treated her, she can walk and run as well 
as any girl; and you cannot tell which leg was afflicted. Dear 




CAST OF DR. BEIGHLE'S ARM. 
Power enters at place indicated by dark line, and passes out through the hand. 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 45 

little Norma, her cure was the means of her sending me about 
three hundred or more patients. 

Her parents live in East Oakland. 

HERBERT THOMPSON. 

We had another case also from Oakland ; a little boy whose 
father was vice-president of one of the banks of that city, and 
whose aunt is editor of one of the leading weekly papers of 
the same place. When they brought little Herbert to me he 
was about nine years old, and suffering from hip-disease. After 
examining him the Holy Power told me to take the case and if, 
after treating him two weeks, he could walk at all without his 
crutches that we could cure him. He was such a sensible boy 
I knew I could speak plainly to him. When the two weeks 
had expired and we were ready to test him, the patients, and we 
had a good many, were anxious to see what he could do. I was 
so nervous I did not dare let anyone see him except his mother. 
We went out into the hall, and the little chap handed me his 
crutches and started to walk. My soul was in prayer with the 
God-power. The few moments seemed months to me, but he 
walked ; he continued treatment and we cured him. He is now 
one of the bright young men of Oakland, and as well as any one. 

I was highly amused one day, and I am going to tell you 
about it. I was very busy, as usual, when I was informed that 
a lady was very anxious to see me. As soon as I could give her 
the time I took her into my private room. She was a very slight, 
light-haired, sickly-looking woman. She eyed me very closely ; 
I showed her the power in my arm and then began to examine 
her. She acknowledged that I was right, but in a few moments 
denied it. Then she turned to me and said, " Do you know who 
lam?" I answered, " No, I do not." " Well," she said, " I 
am going to graduate next month as a physician," and she 
looked so defiant. I said, " Physician, heal thyself." She 
turned around, pretending not to notice what I said, and asked 
what my charges were. I told her and she seemed astonished, 
saying that her husband was a poor clergyman and she could 



46 Book of Knowledge. 

not afford to pay out so much money, and that she did not be- 
lieve in spiritual healing anyway. I asked her if she read her 
Bible aright, as spiritual healing is one of the principal laws laid 
down by Christ. She did not say anything more, but, as the 
boy said, " she looked her scorn," and asked what the fee was. 
I told her and to pay it to my secretary as she passed out. The 
office was full of patients as she entered and laid the money on 
the desk, saying, " Fools and their money are soon parted." It 
amused the patients very much. 

It is very singular to see little children who are sick and 
crippled coming to the office. The first time they come they 
are very timid, but just as soon as we can get the God-power 
over them they are always ready and anxious to be with me, and 
their mothers and protectors tell me that anything in the shape 
of flowers, pictures, or candy they want to save for me. One 
little girl in Berkeley, little Catherine Grant, a little tot of four 
years, is very fond of me. One day a lady was walking up the 
street and she saw little Catherine standing by the letter box 
with her little apron full of flowers, putting them into the box. 
The lady asked her what she was doing, and she said she was 
sending flowers to doctor by mail. Bless her ! We have treated 
hundreds of children, and every one after a treatment was glad 
to come back to the office. Little Norma Dearborn, a little girl 
whom we cured, and whose cure was the means of hundreds 
coming to me, was compelled one day to remain at home on 
account of her swallowing a large piece of gum. So her mother 
told her to remain in bed till she returned from my office. The 
dear little girl had her father wrap a shawl around her and carry 
her into the garden so she could pick some pinks for me. 

Skeptics, those who have never troubled themselves about 
the communication between the two worlds, have said to me, 
"What good comes of it?" I will answer now. If Spiritual- 
ism never did but one thing, it takes away the fear of death, and 
that in itself is everything. But it does more : it proves to us 
that our loved ones do return to us daily. Let me tell you of 
a little incident I heard a few days ago : Mr. McClure, the presi- 
dent of the Philosophical Journal, a gentleman up in the seventies, 
and one whose word is law to those who know him ; said that 



Record of Some Wonder Jul Cures. 47 

forty years ago he was in a mining camp alone, and had been 
for quite a while. He said he had the toothache for ten days 
until he thought he would lose his mind. At last, in despera- 
tion, he cried aloud, " My God, have you forsaken me? " Then 
in a few moments he felt a presence with him, as though his 
sister Mary was in the cabin with him. He said he knew noth- 
ing of Spiritualism whatever at that time. He spoke aloud, say- 
ing, " Sister Mary, if this is you who are here with me, can it 
be possible to bring something to help me ? " He told me that 
in a few moments he felt as though a hand was placed on his 
head and he began to feel as though he had taken an opiate. 
When he awoke the sun was shining in his face. He had slept 
through the night and late into the next day. From that time 
on he felt perfectly well ; and from that on he became an ardent 
Spiritualist. 

One afternoon about five o'clock, I was told by Holy Doctor 
Cooper to change my clothes immediately and go to Berkeley. 
I was amazed, as I was treating about sixty-five or seventy 
patients daily, going to the office about eight a.m., and not leav- 
ing until eight p.m. But as I always did what they told me to do, 
I hurriedly changed my clothing, thinking that my children might 
be ill or something had happened to them, as all my children lived 
in Berkeley. When I left the train, I hurried to my son-in-law's 
store to know what was the trouble. Sam looked so startled 
when he saw me at that hour and said, " Mamma, dear, what is 
the matter ? " I asked him if any of them were ill. He said, 
" No." I then told him that the Holy Doctor had sent me over 
there. Sam said, " Mamma, I know what it is. Mr. Stratton's 
daughter has been dying all day." I told him to get a carriage 
as quickly as possible and I would go there. I had treated Mr. 
Stratton two years before. He had been superintendent of the 
Public Schools of Oakland, but was taken sick. He had one of 
our city physicians of considerable note, who had applied elec- 
tricity and paralyzed his spine, and after being a helpless wreck 
for more than a year, he was told about me and my powers. He 
came, and the result was that we cured him. He lived in Berke- 
ley with his daughter, Mrs. Cody, who was a widow and who had 
been teaching school in Oakland. It seems that she had been 



48 Book of Knowledge. 

taken sick with pneumonia. They called in one of the physicians 
of Berkeley to attend her, and she had five relapses, as I found 
out later, or at least the night I went there. When we drove 
up to the house, Sam rang the bell and a young lady came to 
the door, whom I had met once before. She said, " Mrs. Cody 
is dying, Doctor; you are too late." She was crying bitterly. 
I did not say anything, but knew I was not, or I would not 
have been taken out of my office in that manner. I entered the 
sick room and met the physician. I did not ask him if I could 
examine Mrs. Cody, but went over and washed my hands and 
then went to the bedside. She lay there with her eyes half closed, 
a position she had been in all day, so I was told. While washing 
my hands, my soul was in prayer with the God Power, and when 
I laid my hand on her it simply put life into her. Her eyelids 
closed for a few moments; then opened, and she spoke. I 
turned to the good doctor, apologizing for my coming in that 
way ; but he was so interested and amazed. I then asked him if 
he could come into the other room, as I wished to speak to him. 
I again offered an apology, also telling him that I knew he was 
treating her for her heart and lungs. He said he was. I then said, 
" Change it," and told him what to do. He said he certainly 
would, and he did. Mrs. Cody had a picture of mine which be- 
longed to her father. She had it hung on the wall so that she could 
see it, and they told me that the good doctor, when he came in, 
would look at it and say, " A wonderful woman, a very wonder- 
ful woman." As I could not go over to see her, I will here give 
the letter that Mr. Stratton, her dear, good old father, wrote me. 
He is one of the most conscientious men I ever knew ; honorable, 
upright, pure, and good. All who know him sing his praise. 
Poor in wealth of this earth, but in the life beyond he will be 
rich indeed. I am positive he never wronged a human being and 
always gave a helping hand to those who needed it. In the higher 
life I shall meet him, and will be so proud to lead him to my loved 
ones there. 

This is his letter: 

Berkeley, October 19, 1893. 
Dr. Nellie Beighle. 

My Dear Friend: — I did not write earlier in the day, as I 
hoped it would be possible for you to come this evening to give 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 49 

Ida another treatment. But of course you could not, with all 
your office patients on your hands. But by the blessing of God, 
I feel you have already saved her precious life. Your treatment 
seemed to arouse her sinking vitality, to give her new life, and 
she has continued to improve rapidly ever since. To-day, for the 
first time since her last relapse, she speaks confidently of getting 
well. For this, together with all you have done for us in the past, 
mere words but feebly express our thanks and heartfelt gratitude. 
Last night she had a most singular experience. You promised 
to send your spirit forces over to help her. They came ; and as 
a result, she expresses herself as not only feeling much better in 
body, but strangely happy and elevated in spirit. For some 
time she was in a trance state, such as she had never before ex- 
perienced, alarming the watchers and ail of us, as we could not 
arouse her while it lasted. She came out of it very happy, say- 
ing she had enjoyed a heavenly communion with many spirit 
friends, and had received a new spiritual illumination, never ex- 
perienced before. New and higher views of life were unfolded. 
She will explain it all as soon as she is strong enough to talk. 

For an old Methodist whose belief is dyed in the wool, it 
would seem to be a strange manifestation; but thank God, the 
world moves spiritually as well as socially and physically. If 
no new spiritual truths are revealed old ones are receiving an 
illumination that gives them a beauty and power undreamed of 
by our fathers. I still cling with love to the good old Methodist 
faith, as taught by Wesley, modified, of course, by circumstances 
of individuality and personal experiences; but since witnessing 
so oft the wonderful spiritual power for good you possess, and 
which I were blindly stupid not to believe in, the good old Scrip- 
tural doctrine of the ministration of angels, instead of being a 
vain, unsatisfactory belief, has become a living verity. No longer 
an unsatisfying, misty article of faith, but a beautiful and grand 
truth, a blessed fact, a daily and hourly help and consolation. 
Thank God for my past year's illumination through your spir- 
itual guidance. Instead of loving the blessed Bible and the teach- 
ings of Christ less, their words have received new beauty, life, 
and power. 

Gratefully yours, 
4 (Signed) James Stratton. 



50 Book of Knowledge. 

It gives me a great deal of pleasure to give to the public 
my testimony in regard to the wonderful cure performed on me 
by Dr. Nellie Beighle. I had a large tumor in the abdomen ; was 
examined by three of the best physicians in Oakland and San 
Francisco, and they pronounced my case hopeless unless I sub- 
mitted to an operation, and even then would give me very little 
encouragement. But I had made up my mind to have the opera- 
tion performed and take the risk, when I heard of Dr. Beighle 
through a friend, and decided to see her first. She made an ex- 
amination and said she could cure me. I began taking treat- 
ment immediately, and commenced improving from the first. 
The tumor is gone, and to-day (thank God and the little doctor) 
I am a perfectly well woman. I shall be glad to tell any one 
personally of my case if they call on me at my residence, 1224% 
Haight Street. 

Mrs. Nellie Osgood. 

Mrs. Osgood, the lady whose letter I give here, came to my 
office to be examined. She had such a very large tumor that she 
was immense. She had such a yellowish brown color, and she 
looked so hopeless, but dear Dr. Cooper told me to take the case 
and the power would be able to cure her. She came to me regu- 
larly, and her letter shows that we kept our word. To-day she is 
a very handsome woman. She met one of her doctors on the 
street after we cured her, and she said he was so astonished to 
see her looking so well. When she told him about our taking 
the tumor away, he said, " The doctors ought to know about 
this." 

Deadwood, Trinity Co., Cal., March, '02. 

After twelve years of sickness, having gone through three 
operations under skilled physicians, I came from the sanitarium 
a total wreck. Having no desire to live, my health being so im- 
paired, I prayed for death, thinking that would be my only re- 
lief from all my suffering. 

As a last resort, I commenced treatment four months ago 
with Dr. Nellie Beighle. My system was so full of poison it is 
something beyond a miracle when I think of Dr. Beighle effecting 
a cure without the aid of one drop of medicine. Since treating 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 51 

with her I have felt for the first time during my sickness that I 
will again be a well woman. 

Words can never express my gratitude to the Doctor when 
I consider all she has done for me; for life, when deprived of 
your health, is not worth living. 
May God bless her! 

Gratefully yours, 

Mary A. Dobler. 

Mrs. Dobler, whose letter I give here, came to me a total 
wreck. Her husband and her friends thought she would surely 
lose her mind; and no wonder, for she was so blood-poisoned 
from the operations. Those who saw the poison that came out 
of her were shocked, but dear Dr. Cooper said she could be 
cured. That was a year ago, or nearly so. A few days ago I 
received a letter from her, and she is still improving. 

In the year 1901 a lady came to the office for consultation, 
saying that Mrs. John F. Snow, of the Dyeing Works, had sent 
her to me. I made an examination through the power, and found 
her in a bad condition. She being perfectly satisfied with her 
diagnosis went under treatment not any too soon. One day, 
while treating her, she told me her husband had consumption, 
and that one lung was entirely gone and the other had a big hole 
in it. The Holy Doctor spoke in my ear and said, " No, my child, 
he has not consumption, but his liver is in a bad condition." He 

then explained what the trouble was. Mrs. A said she would 

bring him with her the next time and let him see the power. 
He came, and the diagnosis being correct, he went under treat- 
ment and to-day is still alive. For many years he was the libra- 
rian for the Knights of Pythias. A friend of his wrote him, in- 
quiring about our treatment, as he wished to put his wife under 
it. Mr. A 's letter, which his friend's wife gave to me, ex- 
plains. Mr. A does not know that I have ever seen the letter. 

Corvallts, Ore., Aug. 9, 1892. 
My Dear Friend Garrett: — You ought to be near enough 
to me to give me one real good hard kick. I deserve it. No ade- 
quate apology can be made in this case, therefore you will have 



52 Book of Knowledge. 

to subtract the adverse value from your former good opinion of 
me, and if you discover a remainder, fling it into the ash-barrel 
along with the other refuse. It will be the most unprofitable 
thing a scavenger ever collected. 

The most important thing you wanted to know was relative 

to Mrs. A 's doctor. Well that Doctor is a good one — bless 

her soul ! She cured me of a miserable cough that I confidently 
expected would cost me a wooden shirt — by the way, the saving 
of that expense was probably not worth the trouble. 

My wife had been under doctors care for five years, and ap- 
parently was getting steadily worse. She was under the care of 
Dr. Beighle for six or eight weeks and was entirely cured, or ap- 
parently so, when we left the city. Her health is not quite so good 
now, but she attributes it to work and worry since coming home. 
She is so convinced of Dr. Beighle's ability to do what she says 
she can do that it would be impossible to persuade her to take 
treatment of an old school physician for anything that Dr. Beighle 

said she could cure. When Mrs. A went to Dr. Beighle she 

was suffering with bladder, kidney and stomach troubles. She 
was really in a desperate condition. The principal trouble was 
apparently in her heart. That organ, Dr. Beighle said, was not 
particularly affected, and apparently she was right, for under 
her treatment the pain ceased in that organ in a very short time. 
She charges what looks like a steep price, does not advertise, has 
a large practise and a most intelligent class of patients (myself 
excepted). She is quite entertaining, rather good-looking, pos- 
sesses an excellent figure and is really good to look at; but I 
do not think that looking at her would cure a black eye or make 
me forget the toothache of any kind, or cease to cough with a 
badly irritated condition of the bronchial tubes. But that she 
has some occult power whereby she can hocus-pocus the situation 
sufficiently to make you believe you are not suffering from these 
evils, cannot be denied by those who are familiar with her work. 
Call and have a talk with her — see some of her patients — I am 

not advising you to have her treat Mrs. G , although Mrs. 

A says, " By all means advise your friend to take his wife 

to Dr. Beighle." I have told you in this things that I know, 
and I am, or rather have been, as bad a skeptic in matters of 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 53 

this kind as anyone could be. Asking your and Mrs. G 's 

forgiveness for my carelessness in not answering sooner, 
I remain yours, 

D. Allison. 

This gentleman, whose letter I will give, was sent to me by 
one of the leading men of our city. He had baffled all the doc- 
tors, and it was between the undertaker and myself who should 
have the case. Holy Dr. Cooper diagnosed his case correctly 
through the power, and said it was his stomach ; so he decided to 
go under our treatment. His condition was indeed terrible; he 
never knew when he was going to have one of his " spells," as 
he called them. They were liable to come on him at any time. 
The second treatment we gave him he had a spell in the office ; 
his tongue protruded from his mouth and turned such a dark 
color, and he trembled from his head to his feet. It was awful 
while it lasted. I will give his letter, and it will show how much 
he improved. 

In Camp near Tower House, Shasta Co. 

Dear Doctor : — I have you " on the list " for a letter for 
some time, and if you are going to get it before I go home I must 
be writing it, for I expect to leave for San Francisco the latter 
part of the week. 

My three months are a little more than up, and it is with 
pleasure I say that your promises have been more than fulfilled, 
for I am stronger and better in every way than I have been at 
any time for three years past. I feel that I am under deep obli- 
gations to you, and I hope to be able to show in some way my 
appreciation of all you have done for me. You are at liberty to 
use my name as a reference, or in any way that may be of advan- 
tage to you, and rest assured I shall not fail to tell what you 
have done for me, and hope to send others to you. We are in 
camp in a delightful spot, and I wish you could run away for a 
while and enjoy such beauties of nature as surround us on every 
hand. Our camp is on the banks of a fine stream, in a beautiful 
wooded canyon, one-half mile from the stage road to Trinity 
County. I have been here two weeks, and it has done me a world 



54 Book of Knowledge. 

of good. When I tell you that I am the only man in camp, cut 
all the wood for stove and camp fires; take six or eight mile 
tramps hunting and fishing; have a daily plunge in the creek, 
etc., you will imagine there has been somewhat of a change in 
me. But I suppose Mr. Weister has told you of my improvement. 
Poor boy, he is having a seige of it. I hope you will soon be 
through with him. 

Well, I hope to see you some time next week, and until then 
will say good-bye, with my best regards and good wishes. 

Sincerely, 
Aug. 3, 1896. (Signed) H. W. Barnard. 

These letters from a very dear patient, whom I love dearly, 
I wish to give here. 

Berkeley, October 24, 1902. 

My Dear Doctor : — I have much pleasure in sending to you 
the verses promised some little time ago. Now, my dear Doctor, 
I would like to speak on a subject of great interest to me, to your 
many patients, and to the world at large. The subject — the work 
you are about to publish : could you not give space to those of 
your patients who wish to publicly thank you for the wonder- 
ful things you have done for them? It would surely give me the 
greatest pleasure if you would accept such testimony from me 
in behalf of my family; for who, amongst all your patients, can 
speak with greater knowledge of your wonderful gift and power 
of healing, or who has more cause for gratitude? 

In the first place we must thank you for the return to health 
of my brother-in-law. Let me explain. You know, dear doctor, 
the condition of his health when he first came to you for treat- 
ment three years ago. He had then been under treatment for 
some years with several of our most eminent physicians ; they de- 
clared him to have consumption, his lungs perforated, and entirely 
incurable. He was able to walk only a few yards without having 
violent spasms of coughing. Then he came to you, and you cured 
him in a few months by your wonderful power and without the 
aid of any drugs whatever. He was in such a perfect condition 
that he went up to Cape Nome, mining. He requested me before 
he left to write his thanks to you. 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 55 

Then you remember my little son, whom we feared would be 
forever an invalid, and you restored him to health and to us. 
He is now a lovely, strong, and healthy boy. 

Then, again, what can I not say of myself? I who have 
now the first ray of hope after so many (eleven) years of intense 
suffering from concussion of the brain. Can I not tell how you, 
with your great power of personal electricity alone, have drawn 
the congested matter of years standing from my brain and spine 
— drawn it directly through the pores of my body on to cloths, 
that any one could see and no one could even attempt to deny? 
Am I not so much better that I can write this to you ? Surely there 
are many who feel the same sense of gratitude for the wonderful 
things you do for them. And now, my dear Doctor, let me thank 
you at this moment. You who are the soul of generosity, the soul 
of charity, and the soul of love : thank you for the kindly interest 
you have ever shown, and thank you for our present state of 
good health. 

Once more, my dear Doctor, believe me to be 
Your loving friend and patient, 

(Signed) Mrs. M. J. Doolin. 

Berkeley, February 20, 1903. 
My Dear Doctor: — I must tell you of the great pleasure 
I experienced in our little conversation on Wednesday. Such 
moments are indeed very dear to me, as away from discordant 
surroundings (why do I sometimes feel those discordant vibra- 
tions through and over those terrible partitions) there is com- 
munion of spirit and interchange of thought. I am just writing 
as your telephone rings. And now, dear friend and doctor, I will 
try to tell you what you have done for me. It is now eleven years 
and three months since the terrible accident in which I sustained 
concussion of the brain and such severe injuries to my spine that I 
was confined to my bed for a year. I was wheeled in a chair dur- 
ing two years. I suffered complete lapse of memory and of 
knowledge of persons and surroundings. From the moment of 
the accident, for eleven and a half years, I have never been able 
to take any pleasure in life, never been left alone for one moment, 
and never recovered my memory of places and things; though 



56 Book of Knowledge. 

I could walk, I could not find my way from one point to another. 
And now, my dear benefactor, what do I experience after six 
short months of treatment from you, through your most wonder- 
ful and heaven-sent power? I am perfectly cured, and perfectly 
well. Last week I went with a lady friend through the entire 
business portion of San Francisco, buying for her summer ward- 
robe. We crossed the Bay home, I helped in the arrangements 
for dinner, and experienced not the least fatigue or inconvenience. 
Remember this is the first time in eleven years that I have been 
able to do any such thing. Indeed, I have never even attended an 
entertainment or concert in all that time. 

Now, how am I to thank you, dear Doctor? Dear little 
Doctor, Nellie Beighle! Words are all too small, for you have 
indeed renewed in me life and hope, and therefore given new life 
and hope to my dear, faithful husband who has given all he 
possessed in life in trying to benefit me. You have the written 
testimony of six of our most noted physicians that I was per- 
fectly incurable, and that I would be a physical wreck to the end 
of my life. And now, dear Doctor, I would publish before the 
world your great, heaven-sent healing power, and subscribe my- 
self with my husband, 

Your most grateful and loving patient, 

(Signed) Mrs. M. J. Doolin. 

San Francisco, August 26, 1892. 
Dear Mrs. Dr. Beighle: — Words cannot express my grati- 
tude for the benefit I received while under your treatment. 

Your power to me has been simply marvellous, as I have wit- 
nessed so many cures performed by you which were pronounced 
hopeless over and over again by others. The more I think of it 
the more I am convinced that the gift has been wisely bestowed, 
for you give as freely as you receive, without distinction of race 
or color. And as you go from us with your precious healing 
powers, you also go laden with our love and wishes for success, 
which you so richly deserve personally as well as professionally. 

Lovingly, 
(Signed) Mrs. Ludington. 

2512 Fillmore Street. 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 

San Francisco, September 29, 1! 

Dear Dr. Beighle: — You must excuse my not calling upon 
you oftener to express my thanks to you. Many and constant 
engagements must be my excuse. But I feel my obligation to 
you, and my appreciation of your services to Mrs. Henshell 
just as much as if I called every day to speak of them to you. 
Your treatment is inexplicably powerful in its effects upon her, 
except upon the principle that you are aided in a way that is 
not ordinarily understood among medical practitioners, not to 
speak of men in general. The effects I speak of are immediate 
as well as powerful. It has seemed, during the last twelve 

months, as if, whenever Mrs. H is out of health, she has 

nothing to do but come and see you, and she returns to her home 
a new being. 

I should like to know how it comes to pass that you are thus 
privileged to have access to the fountain of life, but probably 
you scarcely know how it is yourself. However, the fact is there, 
you renew Mrs. Henshell's youth as I have never known any 
one else or anything else to do. I am glad that there are some 
powers that worldly wealth cannot purchase, and I am glad, too, 
from what Mrs. H so often says of your beautiful and gen- 
erous nature, that you possess one of them. 
I am, yours very truly, 

(Signed) Rev. John Henshell. 
(Church of England). 

San Jose, Cal v September, 9, 1892. 

Dear Doctor Beighle: — Hearing that you have been re- 
ceiving testimonials from a number you have cured, I take pleas- 
ure in telling of what I consider a wonderful cure of my wife some 
eight years ago. 

It was a critical period of her life. We had several first- 
class physicians prescribe for her, but none seemed to do her any 
good, and she was failing rapidly until kind Providence directed 
us to you. After one week's treatment by you, there was a re- 
markable change for the better, and it was not long thereafter 
before she was entirely cured of the disease which no physician 
seemed to understand. Your diagnosis of the case was perfect in 



58 Book of Knowledge. 

every respect, and I feel like saying to you, " God bless you for 
what you have done for my wife." 

Sincerely yours, 

(Signed) J. Z. Anderson. 

(The above letter was written by the father of Lieut. Gover- 
nor Alden Anderson.) 

Berkeley, August 18, 1892. 

Dear Doctor Beighle: — I am unwilling you should leave 
California (as I learn you propose doing) without a slight testi- 
monial from me, and a grateful acknowledgment of benefits re- 
ceived that mere gold can never repay. My present freedom from 
pain, with the cheering prospect of a complete restoration to 
health in the near future, is, I believe, entirely due to your won- 
derful healing power. 

For several years I have been a great sufferer from a diseased 
liver and its attendant ills. The last two years I have been unable 
to attend to my business — much of the time confined to my bed, 
suffering most excrutiating pains in the spinal cord and sciatic 
nerve. Physicians had exerted all their skill in their vain efforts 
to cure. Though somewhat relieved at times, and even able to 
get about a little with the aid of a cane, the slightest over-exertion 
was sure to bring on a relapse to my old torture. 

All my friends considered my case beyond the reach of medical 
science. I had seemingly exhausted the whole catalogue of 
remedies in the fruitless struggle for relief, and had long given 
up the entire use of medicine as utterly useless in my case. 

It was only three months ago I heard of you and the wonder- 
ful cures you were performing, and at once placed myself under 
your treatment. Though commenced with little faith or hope on 
my part, the result was little less than marvellous. The first two 
weeks I received vour treatment daily (Sundays excepted), after- 
wards on alternate days. At the expiration of six weeks (at 
which time you had predicted a cure) my liver — badly ulcerated 
for years — appeared to be perfectly sound and in healthy action. 
My spine was all right, the sciatic pains were gone and a thrill of 
life, unfelt for years, pervaded my whole being. 

Now, just how or by what Power this was done I know not 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 59 

but this I do know: that whereas I was helplessly, hopelessly 
sick, I am now, if not a well man, at least on the high road to 
health, with every prospect of retaining it. True, your treatment 
necessarily still left me weak and enfeebled by my long debilitat- 
ing sickness, but I was free from pain, and felt altogether a new 
man — or an old one pretty well made over. It seemed too won- 
derful to be true, or at least to last. But as I rapidly gained my 
strength and flesh, with returning appetite, and no return of my 
old enemy, I wanted to — well, I felt like holding a hallelujah 
meeting all by myself, and a pretty enthusiastic one, too. 

That a change for the better has been suddenly wrought in 
me, all my friends can testify. They simply know the fact, and 
can only wonder and say, " How strange ! " 

And now, dear Doctor, allow me to wish you God-speed in 
your proposed journey and the full fruition of all your hopes. 
And be assured that of the host of friends you leave behind, 
whose kindly wishes will follow you wherever you may go, none 
will hold you in more grateful remembrance than 
Your sincere friend, 

(Signed) James Stratton. 

Dr. Nellie Beighle. 

Dear Doctor : — After having suffered about three years with 
my head, and going to all the best doctors, who relieved me only 
for a few days, I was recommended to you. 

I was not to be trusted out alone, as I would fall wherever I 
was. And now I consider myself a well woman, thanks to the 
dear " Little Doctor," and the God who gave her the power. 
Sincerely yours, 

(Signed) Mrs. John F. Snow. 
(Mission and 12th Sts.) 

San Francisco, August 21, 1892. 
Dr. Nellie Beighle. 

Dear Madam : — I herewith wish to acknowledge the great 
benefit I received from your treatment, you having cured me of 
a disease of which my family physician was entirely unaware. 
I deem your diagnosis as something wonderful, and I am en- 



60 Book of Knowledge. 

joying better health than for many years, and I feel that such 
could not have been the case had those gall-stones remained in 
my system until this time. 

I hear of many wonderful cures through your mediumship, 
and you must be somewhat elated when you look over your 
record the past fourteen years. 

What shall we say of Christians who claim to follow Christ, 
but have not the power to heal, and it is left to the much-despised 
Spiritual medium to do His work? He taught the disciples to 
heal, but who ever heard of an orthodox preacher curing the 
simplest ailment by the simple touch of his hand? 

I hope that right hand of yours will continue to give relief 
to many sufferers, and that your other spiritual powers will be in- 
strumental in removing the dark pall of superstition that has long 
hung over the minds and hearts of the people. 
Most gratefully and truly, 

(Signed) Wm. Lyons. 

San Francisco, October 21, 1892. 
Dr. Beighle : — I can assure you it gives me a great pleasure 
to be able to say a few words about your wonderful mediumship 
and wonderful spirit power. I am very much pleased in being 
one of your patients. I know you have helped me wonderfully. 
Being a Spiritualist, I am better capable of appreciating the 
great work you are doing for suffering humanity; and doing it 
so nobly and faithfully, you deserve great credit. You treat 
everybody alike. You make no distinction between rich and poor, 
and you teach the world a lesson that speaks volumes for itself. 

Yours truly, 

(Signed) Fred Anderson. 

Alameda, August 18, 1892. 

Mrs. Dr. Beighle: — A little over five years ago I was 
brought to you for treatment, as I could not get to your office 
alone. 

I was in a very bad condition, suffering with my kidneys, 
bladder, and rheumatism in my arms and shoulders. I had been 
subject to sick headache all my life, and was frequently taken 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 61 

with a choking spell very much resembling croup. In fact, all 
doctors who attended me when suffering from that cause pro- 
nounced it croup. 

You told me differently and explained the cause. You said 
you could remove it, and you did. I can assure you, I was never 
so surprised in my life when you told me I was affected in that 
manner, as you had never seen or heard of me before. 

Since your treatment I have been entirely well, and have full 
confidence that I will never have a return of either sick head- 
ache or that choking in my throat. 

I am now sixty-five years of age and can assure you, dear 
madam, that there can be no healthier man living than your ever 
Grateful friend, 

(Signed) James Lamb. 
2040 San Antonio Ave. near Chestnut. 

San Francisco, February 8, 1892. 
To all Whom it May Concern : — 

Know that I, the undersigned, was doing business in the 
town of Ophir, Placer County, Cal., the year 1890. The month 
of July I was sunstruck, and within six weeks after that time 
I was overcome with the heat twice. During this time I would 
stagger when I attempted to walk, as though I were drunk. I 
became so weak I went to San Francisco for medical aid. I called 

on Dr. ; he experimented on me four days and called 

my complaint nervous prostration ; said I should move into a cool 
climate. I came to San Francisco finally and started business, 
with the belief that I could build myself up, as I had an un- 
natural appetite. I was treated by the doctor two months and 
continued to get weaker all the time — my head and back ached. 
Some nights I could not sleep at all the pain was so severe. I 
went to other doctors during the summer of 1891, but could 
not get a positive answer whether they could give me any relief 
or not, but called it nervous prostration. I finally became so 
weak that I could not raise my head. Then I quit business, as I 
believed, forever. 

I heard of the Oriental Medical Syndicate. I went there. 
The chief examiner said I could be cured. He had me go to see 



62 Book oj Knowledge. 

the surgeon-in-chief. He asked many questions, and finally came 
to the conclusion that my trouble was nervous prostration, and if 
I would play gentleman six or eight years, do nothing to ex- 
cite my nerves or brain, and take medicine all the time, I might 
get well — nothing sure. I said to myself, " Good-bye to medical 
science." A short time after that I called on a friend, Mr. Lamb, 
master-mechanic of the P. & O. R. R. In talking with him, he 
advised me to go to Doctor Nellie Beighle. Mr. Lamb told me 
what condition he was in, and how well Dr. Beighle described his 
condition after examination ; that he began to take treatments of 
the Doctor at once, and was able to go to work in a very short 
time, and that the Doctor diagnosed diseases without asking 
questions. When I learned that was the case, I went to Dr. 
Beighle the same day, as I believed there was a chance for me yet. 
The Doctor examined me, told me where the seat of my trouble 
was and the cause of same ; she said she would cure me in six or 
eight weeks. I began treatments the second day of December, 
and in eight weeks' time I felt as well as I ever did in my life; 
and furthermore, I gained ten pounds in flesh during the treat- 
ments. The Doctor says that in three months from this time I will 
be safe in knocking a man down ; I can do it now, and don't you 
forget it. 

I shall bless the day as long as I live that I went to Doctor 
Nellie Beighle. She saved me from a premature grave, or, worse, 
from being a raving maniac, which some of the doctors said 
would be my fate. 

I would advise any one who is suffering for the want of proper 
treatment and who would like to get well to go to Dr. Nellie 
Beighle. I am sure that if any one can effect cures she can. 

(Signed) H. Hop wood. 

P. S. — Dr. Nellie Beighle, you are at liberty to do with this 
letter or statement as you like. 

Respectfully, 

H. Hop wood. 

San Francisco, Feb. 28, 1901. 
My Dear Friend: — Just a word to say how shocked I am 
to see the death of your dear husband as I glance at the morning 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 63 

paper before retiring. Oh, my heart goes out to you, and I 
wonder so many things — if his illness was of long duration, 
and if you are well yourself. I had not thought of death as 
coming to you and your loved ones, for it seemed as though you 
would be given power to hold them back — and yet — would you* 
do so, when you have had such sweet visions of the better world, 
and your faith is so strong? 

I have promised myself that I would come in and see you, ever 

since Mr. H told me of your return to the city, but now I 

shall surely do so in the near future, for I am so sorry for you! 

My husband joins me in kindest regards, and believe me, 
Yours truly, 

• M. E. H. 

The above letter came from a very dear friend whose husband 
was a patient at one time. In her letter she said she had not 
thought of death coming to me. Dear readers, I have not been 
saved any sorrow. I have had to go through it all as well as you, 
and if you only knew what I had to go through when my husband 
met with the accident that ultimately caused his death. But 
it has all proved a blessing in disguise. As I often tell my 
patients, all sickness, all sorrow, proves a blessing in some man- 
ner. In sickness or sorrow, when mortals cannot help us, we 
turn to God, calling on Him and our loved ones who have passed 
out of this life for help, thus opening up an avenue to the life 
beyond. 

San Francisco, March 28, 1901. 

My Dear Dr. Nellie: — Your dear little missive arrived this 
morning. I am so sorry we are to be deprived of the pleasure 
of seeing you this week, for really it is an inspiration for us to 
be with you, but next week I sincerely hope nothing will prevent 
your coming. My husband will come home then, too. 

Right here I must jot down these lines by Milton. They 
have been in my mind so much of late, and I always think of you ; 
they seem to describe you so perfectly. Here they are : 

" So dear to heaven is saintly chastity 
That when a soul is found sincerely so, 



64 Book of Knowledge. 

\ A thousand liveried angels lackey her 

Driving far off each thing of sin and guilt, 
And in clear dream and solemn vision 
Tell her of things that no gross ear can hear; 
Till oft converse with heavenly habitants 
Begins to cast a beam on the outward shape, 
The unpolluted temple of the mind, 
And turns it by degrees to the soul's essence, 
Till all be made immortal." 

Don't you think they were intended for you? 
We all enjoyed our little excursion Saturday so much; the 
children have said to me so often, " Mamma, you will take us to 
see Dr. Nellie again, won't you ? " Take good care of yourself. 
I am with love, yours affectionately, 

(Signed). 

(I omit the name of this dear friend, but I must put her letter 
in our book, to show her how much I appreciated it.) 

A great many patients call me Dr. Nellie, leaving off the last 
name. 

How many sorrows and afflictions are placed in our pathway, 
what fiery furnaces have we to be put through, to open up our sym- 
pathy to those we meet in sorrow and bereavement, so that our 
souls shall expand ! How many times have I cried aloud, in years 
gone by, " Oh ! God and angel loved ones, have you deserted 
me? " And when I thought every ray of light was taken from me, 
the God-power and holy angels to whom I had appealed would 
give me the clairvoyant power, and I would see the room filled 
with forget-me-nots, showing me that I was not forgotten, but 
learning the earth trials and sorrows ; becoming a teacher of the 
kingdom of God ; showing me I must suffer to be able to sympa- 
thize with those who would need my encouragement in the years 
to come. 

Indeed, I have seen all the sad part of life, dear readers ; many 
of you see only the front of the stage, but I have always had to 
witness the back of it. Not alone my troubles, but those of the 
thousands whom the God-power has sent me; and not alone to 



Record oj Some Wonderful Cures. 65 

heal the physical, but the mental, and the soul. I am able to thank 
God and my Sacred Mother and Holy Dr. Cooper that I was 
selected to do their holy work. (But because ye are not of the 
world, but I have chosen you out of the world. St. John XV. 
19.) Again and again I thank them for the open gate of sym- 
pathy between the people and myself, for it has been the means 
of making all better whom I have been permitted to know. Both 
the poor and the rich, all need the God love and protection some 
time in their lives. I have never met any one but the God spark 
was in them, and it needed only an encouraging word to bring 
them to realize it. The most bitter skeptic, the most ignorant, 
or the most repulsive beings with whom I have come in contact 
realize, before they leave, that it is God's power that is with me ; 
and I have had them say to me, " I want to be a better man since 
I met you," or " I want to be a better woman ; " proving that when 
we recognize the higher spiritual laws, we not only help our- 
selves, but all with whom we come in contact. 

Time and time again I am consulted by the patients about 
business and how it is best to proceed with it. I have had women 
come into my office and say to me (they were skeptics, too), 
" Doctor, will you ask your Holy Power what I shall do about my 
girl or my boy? " The Holy Doctor or my Sacred Mother would 
advise them for the best. In the first place, allow me to say a 
few words here about the father, mother, and children. Holy 
Doctor Cooper always advises complete chumship between the 
parents and children. We know they are all right when small, 
but when a boy or girl turns into manhood or womanhood then 
is the time for full confidence. Chumship is to be established. 
Fathers and mothers, you forget your duty so often at those 
times. My advice to you is to make your home a home, not 
with fine furniture alone, so you cannot use it except on certain 
occasions, but throw your doors open, let the sunshine of your 
girls and boys join with God's love, and irradiate your homes. 
Fill your homes with music; join with your boys and girls in 
making your homes cheerful; buy them games and play with 
them ; teach them to play cards and play with them ; better tire 
your physical being than to allow your boys to go into other homes 
for amusement. It does not take them long to be drawn away 
5 



66 Book of Knowledge. 

from you, but sometimes it takes a long time to bring them back, 
but by being a chum with them, by entering into all their pleas- 
ures, you fill your own lives with riches. I know a family in Ala- 
meda; the father came to us for treatment. He had malarial 
rheumatism, and was, indeed, in a very bad condition. We cured 
him, and from that on I became very intimate with his dear fam- 
ily, which consisted of a charming wife, four sons, and one 
daughter. The sons are young men now. I want to tell you that 
I always feel as though I had a tonic when I go over and spend 
Saturday night and Sunday with them. The whole family play 
cards, and I play with them. It is so different from what my father 
was in his home. Sunday the curtains were drawn down, and you 
could only read the Bible. My sisters tell me that they did not 
dare speak to my father. He was one of the props of the Pres- 
byterian Church and all his children stood in awe of him. But 
let us turn again to this family, where perfect chumship exists. 
The three older boys are now holding responsible positions, but 
the father and mother are boy and girl with them. The whole 
family are one in pleasure or sorrow. I tell you, friends, in their 
God-loved home — not the old-time God, but the new universal 
Love, which, when we define it, means honesty, integrity, 
confidence — God is with them and will be glad to welcome 
them into their higher home where chumship will continue to 
reign. 

Another family, of Oakland, who are patients, have a son 
who smokes cigarettes. His mother asked me if I would ask the 
power to cure him of the habit ; he was with her when she asked 
me, so I turned to the boy and asked him if his father smoked. 
He said his father was smoking all the time. Well, I told him 
to keep on and smoke as long as his father did ; that I had raised 
my dear children to do anything they saw me doing, and if 
father and mother would look at it in that way they would have 
the best children in the world, if they would all start right in 
life. 

If I were rich enough I would like to put a sanctuary and 
one of Edison's phonographs in every home. Music harmonizes ; 
it rests the tired brain and the sanctuary rests the soul, for there 
you are in communion with God and the angel loved ones. 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 67 

Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by 
prophesy, with the laying on of hands. 1 Timothy IV, 14. 

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that 
thy profiling may appear to all. 1 Timothy IV, 15. 

Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in 
them; for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that 
hear thee. 1 Timothy IV, 16. 

Now, dear friends and readers, I want to write just a little 
about myself, that is, my power of endurance. If I appear con- 
ceited to you I shall be sorry, for I do not mean to be. I know 
that ever since this divine power has been with me I am only 
the instrument. It is not I, but the God-power working through 
me. The engine cannot run alone, but in the hands of a competent 
engineer it works wonders. So it is with the psychics who are 
chosen to enlighten the people. In looking over the records of 
all the instruments for the divine use I find that I have been 
more closely in touch with it than any other psychic that is on 
record. I have been twenty-three years in my office, healing the 
sick and giving messages from the angel loved ones to those who 
have been patients. In all that time I have had but eleven months 
vacation, counting every day. Until within a few years, I treated 
evenings, Sundays and all. I think I have done without sleep 
and food more than any other individual. My " God-power " 
left me twice; the first time it was as a lesson to the family; 
the second time it was to give me additional power. 

When the power first came to me I was told by Holy Doctor 
Cooper that if I would always keep myself as pure as I was at 
that time the fountain of life would never be empty. I will 
leave that to my dear ones to say if I have done so. The first 
time the " Power " left, I tried to think in what I had erred, 
but the dear " voice " said, " You are not at fault ; it is only a 
lesson ; we will come to you again." Oh, how lonely I was with- 
out the loved influence! It remained away for nearly three 
months, which to me was an eternity. Mr. Beighle one day in 
lifting a piece of carpet wrenched his back and he was brought 
home. I sent for Dr. McNutt, he being our old physician prior 
to my having the power, but Dr. McNutt was out of town, and 
the physician he left in his place came instead. When the doctor 



68 Book of Knowledge . 

came into the room he looked at my dear husband and then 
turned around to me and said, " You can do more for him than 
I can." I had never seen the man before, and wondered at his 
speaking in that manner. I answered him, saying, (i I cannot 
now, doctor; there was a time when I could, but not now." (I 
realized afterward that the doctor was clairvoyant). He left 
the room, saying, " You must do for him ; / cannot.'' After he 
had gone out I said to my husband, " How strange the doctor 
acted! George, I wonder if the power would come to me? I 
have tried so many times, but it is not in my arm." I laid my 
hand on his back, and felt a little sensation in my hand, and, as 
I looked at my husband, I saw that he too felt the power. I 
tried again and there was a little more; and the third time 
I tried — well, God be praised ! the power was again with me. I 
knelt by the bedside of my husband, and I know that no human 
being ever offered up a prayer more fervently than I did, and I 
know my husband felt near to God and the angels, too. In my 
humbleness, I promised that never again would I think of wealth, 
that is, money ; and that my life would be devoted to the Creator, 
the angel loved ones, and humanity as long as I remained in the 
body. 

Most singular, but the second time they gave it back to me 
was through my husband being hurt again, and ever since it has 
been with me ; and now I know it will never leave me until Holy 
Doctor Cooper is permitted to take me home. Who has a better 
right to come for me than he who had been my constant guide 
and teacher? Even those who are so skeptical listen attentively 
to every word which he utters to me, and are guided by it. 
He always speaks in such a gentle voice to me. Indeed, many 
times when I have been nervous, and sometimes, I think, very 
hateful, he always answers me so gently and so courteously that 
I would vow I never would get impatient again, yet I would — but 
he always excused me. 

In writing of my power of endurance, I wish to say that I 
have always been in the office every day, healing the sick, treating 
from forty to seventy patients daily, besides examining those who 
wanted to go under treatment. Once I dislocated my treating 
hand (which of course is the right hand), dislocating three fingers 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 69 

and thumb. I had made an engagement one Saturday afternoon 
with some friends to go bicycle riding. Holy Dr. Cooper told 
me not to go out, but to send a message saying I could not go ; 
but I wanted to go and disobeyed, and the consequence was we 
had not ridden a dozen blocks before I fell from the wheel and dis- 
located my fingers and thumb. I was at that time treating about 
sixty patients a day, and there were fifteen of those who would 
have passed out of the body if I had not been there to treat them. 
I did not think of the pain I was in, but I did think of the patients 
and my disobedience to Holy Dr. Cooper. When I returned to 
the house the dear doctor told me what to do, but I tell you, my 
dear readers, I paid well for my disobeying. Monday morning 
found me at the office, and I treated my patients, and continued 
to do so, too. I think I hear you say, " I wonder if it hurt her." 
Well, now I tell you I paid the penalty for about five weeks. I 
was careful ever afterwards to pay attention to the God-power. 
I will not tire you by telling you any more, only to say that it 
made no difference what suffering was put upon me, I have 
always been in my office every day with my beloved patients. 
I have been in my office all day and every day since I began, 
through the powers, to write this book and collect the material for 
it. My writings have nearly all been done at night, when most 
people were asleep, usually between twelve and three o'clock in the 
morning. I want the angel world to give credit to all whose 
writings and experience we have inserted here. The closing 
chapter, " Signs and Wonders " you will find in " Fragments," 
by J. J. Owen, late editor of the San Jose Mercury, and author 
of many other works. Mr. Owen was a warm friend of mine, and 
in writing " Signs and Wonders " he alluded to our treatment, so 
I will do him the honor to close the book with it, knowing that he 
wrote it for me. 

If I have fulfilled the mission that was placed before me, I 
am so glad. I have had for my companions the dear angels and 
the love of my patients and friends, and the love and adoration 
of my dear children and relatives. I will close with the verses 
Mr. J. J. Owen composed for me. Many readers will recognize 
them. 



70 Book of Knowledge. 

OUR LITTLE DOCTOR. 

By J. J. Owen, Editor San Jose Mercury. 

Thou angel ministrant of health, 
What magic lies within thy hand! 
Thy spirit gifts, what priceless wealth 
Is placed at thy command! 

The touch of sympathy and love 
Goes with thy power the sick to heal, 
And solace from kind hearts above 
The suffering soul may feel. 

The lame arise and cast aside 
Their bonds, to stand henceforth alone, 
In all the conscious strength and pride 
Of health's most precious boon. 

The blind behold the light again, 
The deaf the voice of love can hear, 
And the dark clouds of woe and pain 
Are caused to disappear. 

What service grander can there be 
Than that which breaks the galling chain 
And ushers into liberty 
The body free from pain? 

Long may our " Little Doctor " live, 
The world's sad side of life to cheer, 
And of her " Balm of Gilead " give 
To those who need her here. 

If the good we do shall blossom forth 
In blessings in the world to come, 
What " pearly gates " and mansion grand 
Will be her spirit home ! 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 71 

FROM THE SPIRIT WORLD. 

Among the " Spirit Messages " in the late " Better Way," 
published in Cincinnati, Ohio, given through the mediumship 
of Henry H. Warner, is one from Henry Beighle, father of the 
husband of Dr. Nellie Beighle, referring to the " Little Doctor." 

" I do not know whether many of the people of San Fran- 
cisco will remember me or not, but there is one who will, and 
to her I say, Nellie, dear heart, you need not fear, for there is 
a band of faithful workers who have ever stood by your side 
in the dark hours of the past, when sorrow and affliction were 
your portion, and shall we desert you now, when you are so 
near the haven of rest ? No ! We draw still closer around you 
and ever strengthen you with our presence. This is the symbol 
that is given to us for you: A wreath of laurel leaves, among 
which are twined blossoms of heartsease, sweet mignonette and 
lilies-of-the-valley ; the laurel is the emblem of your victory 
over all opposition; the heartsease is what you have been to 
many weary travellers on life's highway; the mignonette, the 
sweet incense of love and harmony that you are continually giv- 
ing unto others, and the lilies typify the music of the spiritual 
realms to which your heart is ever attuned. May you ever 
realize the presence of the angel loved ones near you to guide 
and sustain you. 

To Mrs. Dr. Beighle, San Francisco. 

Henry H. Warner was a perfect stranger to me. I had 
never even heard of him till the " Better Way " was brought 
into my office by a friend who had noticed it. 

The electricity in my arm (which extends about two inches, 
I think, above the elbow) is a puzzle to electricians. The 
moment I make a circuit by touching another person the bat- 
tery, as it were, stops. This electricity will penetrate glass, and 
is conducted by hair. 

In the fall of 1888, my practice being very large, I suppose 
it aroused the envy and jealousy of the old school practitioners; 
they sought to drive me from the field by intimations of prose- 
cution for " illegal " practice. After receiving a number of let- 



72 Book of Knowledge. 

ters from the different boards and not paying any attention to 
them, knowing that the patients we cured were turned out to die 
by the " regular " doctors before they came to us, one morning 
on reaching my office the following letter came in the mail. I 
had become so tired of reading these letters I thought I would 
answer this one. It requires no further explanation. 

Office of the Board of Examiners of the Medical Soc'y 
of California. 

San Francisco, November i, 1888. 
Mrs. Dr. N. Beighle. < 

Dear Madam : — We have been informed that there is a Dr. 
Beighle practising medicine at Market and Jones Streets, and 
on looking over the records of this office, as well as the list of 
licentiates of the Homeopathic and Eclectic Boards of Exam- 
iners, we find no one of that name recorded. No doubt you 
are in ignorance of the fact that it is against the law of the State 
to practise medicine without a license from one of the above- 
mentioned Boards. 

We are about to publish a register of all the physicians prac- 
tising in this State, and we desire your name to appear among 
those licensed. Unless we are informed that you have been 
granted a legal license we shall be compelled to include your 
name among the " Illegals." 

Hoping that we may hear from you at your earliest con- 
venience, as we shall go to press with the Register by December 
1st, I am, 

Yours respectfully, 

Chas. E. Blake, M.D., Sec'y. 

431 Geary St. 

ANSWER. 

Chas. E. Blake, M.D., Sec'y, etc. 

In view of the lamentable loss of human life, resulting from 
what is known as " regular " practise, I am proud to be recog- 
nized among what you term the " Illegals," where you will 
please place me. 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 73 

As a large share of my practise is among those whom you, 
or your confreres, have declared to be incurable, but who, in 
their ignorance, prefer to be restored to health in an " illegal " 
and non-professional way rather than yield up the ghost at 
your professional suggestion, you will pardon me if I do not 
choose to attach much importance to a membership in your 
State Society. 

My license comes from a higher Board than any claimed by 
your Schools of Medicine ; my diploma consists of the long list 
of names of those who have been healed through the divinely 
endowed gifts I profess to practise. 

As I use none of your methods, and avoid every appear- 
ance of imitating the same (from a sincere regard for the wel- 
fare of my patients), I cannot understand why your august body 
should trouble itself about me. I am, 

Very respectfully, 

Dr. Nellie Beighle. 



Report of Committee of Investigation of Dr. Nellie 

Beighle Before the Oakland Psychical Research 

Society. 

December 28, 1893, and March 1, 1894. 

Oakland, Cal., March 8, 1894. 

A meeting of the Oakland Psychical Society was held in 
their rooms in the Central Bank Building, corner Broadway and 
Fourteenth Street, on the evening of December 28, 1893. 

The president called the meeting to order, after which Mrs. 
Dr. Nellie Beighle, of San Francisco, was presented to the 
Society for its investigation. 

She is a lady whose right arm is possessed of a power of a 
phenomenal character, entering about three inches above the 
elbow and extending to the tips of the fingers. The committee 
appointed by the President desire to make this report of their 
experiments held with said lady, which came under their direct 
observation and in the presence of the other members of the 
Society. Dr. Nellie Beighle was first conducted to an adjoining 



74 Book of Knowledge. 

room by a committee of ladies (members of the Society), for 
the purpose of ascertaining whether an electric battery or any 
other artificial device capable of producing the power was con- 
cealed on or about her person. After thoroughly satisfying 
themselves, the lady was returned to the Society in waiting for 
investigation, with her right hand and arm bare to the shoulder. 

Five members of the society were operated upon in the fol- 
lowing manner: 

A chair was placed in the centre of the room; Dr. N. K. 
Foster, a member of the committee, was the first to occupy it. 
When Mrs. Dr. Beighle placed her right hand upon his head 
he reported feeling a distinct shock, similar in character to 
which one would receive when coming in contact with an elec- 
tric battery, though the vibratory force was devoid of that sting- 
ing or burning sensation usually felt when emanating from a 
battery, and the vibrations were heavy, less rapid and throbbing 
in character. 

When the lady touched the hair upon his head with the tips 
of her fingers the result was the same. If she touched the 
back of the chair the same force was observed. 

With one finger she touched his forehead, moving it over 
the top and down the spinal column, the force following the 
movement of the finger. 

The lady then took a common glass tumbler used for drink- 
ing purposes, holding it in her right hand, and whenever the 
person was touched with it the same power was experienced. 
She pressed the glass against the bottom of the shoe on his 
foot with a like result. 

When in contact with the force or power of this arm she 
touched the person with the tips of the fingers of the left hand 
the power instantly ceased. 

Dr. Foster reported observing the temperature and pulsa- 
tion of the arm to be in a normal state. 

The most singular feature connected with the experiments 
occurred when the fourth person occupied the chair. 

Dr. Beighle placed her right hand upon the subject in like 
manner as the others; when the hand came in contact with the 
back of his head she immediately exclaimed : " I can't take my 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 75 

hand away ! Do you not suffer with pain in your head? " The 
subject's answer was, " I do." While her hand remained 
against the back of his head her arm to the elbow became 
swollen and congested, having the appearance of an arm tightly 
bound with a cord. 

After this experiment the lady was obliged to bathe her hand 
and arm in water. After they had resumed their normal con- 
dition, five hands, one of each of the five subjects, were placed 
one upon the other, Dr. Beighle placing her hand upon the top, 
when the sensation was plainly felt by all, from the first to the 
fifth below. She also used the glass with this experiment, pro- 
ducing a like result. 

In the several experiments enumerated above, when the 
lady used the glass she also held the same against the person by 
the pressure of one finger. 

On the evening of March 1, 1894, Mrs. Dr. Beighle again 
came before the Society for further investigation. Owing to 
a violent rain storm at the hour of meeting, a majority of the 
members and invited guests (members of the medical profes- 
sion) were unable to be present. 

Dr. Frank L. Adams, a physician of this city, and C. L. 
Cory, Professor of Electrical Engineering, a representative of 
the California University, of Berkeley, by invitation were pres- 
ent and conducted the investigation. 

Mrs. Dr. Beighle exhibited in her right hand and arm the 
same power and in a similar manner to that described at the meet- 
ing previously reported. 

On this occasion, however, Dr. Beighle, in answer to the 
question, " Is this power or force always in your arm? " stated 
that power came only when she desired to use it for demonstra- 
tion and in practising her profession. She exemplified her 
statement by exhibiting her hand and arm with and without the 
power. 

Mrs. Dr. Beighle (nee Nellie Craib) then gave a short bio- 
graphical sketch of her life. 

She is a native of Canada, born in 185 1 of Scotch parents; 
her mother dying when she was two years old. 

Five years later, at the age of seven, she was brought to 



;6 3;; : : ;* Kkcj. ledge. 

:rnia. and has resided in the city of San Francisco most of 

time since. In 1S71 she was married to Geo. \Y. Beighle. 

At an early age she developed various phases oi mediumship. 

In 1S79 sne became endowed with this peculiar power in her 

right hand and arm, which, with two exceptions, has remained 

her to the present time, using it in practising the " Art of 

Healing." 

Mrs. Beighle is a " Psychic " of refinement and education, 
having (before marriage) been a teacher in the public schools. 

She is a firm believer in the principles and philosophy of 
Spiritualism, and claims to receive this force through the power 
of spirit entities. 

T. G. Chestnut, 
X. K Foster, m.d., 

J. C. McMuLLEN, 

H. F. Deaner, 
S. P. Channell, 

President. 
J. B. Randolph, 

President, 

MAGNETIC HEALING. 

AMAZING RESULTS OF ELECTRICITY APPLIED BY HEALER TO PATIENT. 

In the Spreckels Building, on the fourth floor, is a lady who 
has long resided in San Francisco, and who has acquired, grad- 
ually and silently, a reputation which can only be described as 
marvellous. This lady is Dr. Nellie Beighle, who for several 
years was a teacher in the public schools of this city. At the 
age of twenty-eight she perceived that a peculiar power had 
developed in her right arm. From shoulder to wrist the arm 
had become the habitat of an electric current equal to that gen- 
erated by a small battery. Disease, she found, fled at her touch, 
and cases -.vere constantly occurring which suggested something 
not far from miraculous. 

A day or two ago she was visited in her beautiful offices. 
The doctor, still young looking and in the flush and flower of 
perfect womanhood, explained her methods and gave the ad- 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 77 

dresses of a number of her patients. It was thought worth 
while to visit some of the persons named and find out what 
they really thought of her and of what she had done to them. 
A prominent attorney, a wealthy man with a large practise, who 
was reluctant to have his name published, but who would be 
perfectly willing to see any one privately, declared that Dr. 
Beighle had restored his sight when almost gone, and in the case 
of his sixteen-year-old daughter had cured a curvature of the 
spine. " I only know that doctors could do nothing for me or 
my daughter, and that, after Dr. Beighle's treatment, the 
trouble in both cases disappeared." A real estate agent, doing 
one of the largest businesses in the city, was suffering from the 
effects of a fall he met with as far back as 1849. " I went East," 
he said ; " I went to Europe, but could get no help. I came 
home to die and Mrs. Beighle cured me." 

The Doctor assures us that she can refer to multitudes of 
such cases, persons here in the city whom she has restored to 
health. It is easy to be incredulous or scornful; it is not easy 
to explain such results, and it is impossible to ignore them. — 
Chronicle, Sunday, Sept. 29, 1895. 

" THE LITTLE DOCTOR." 

This is not the name of a popular novel. It is the name of 
a popular little woman. " The Little Doctor " is known and be- 
loved by many hundreds, not only for the good she has done in 
this world for suffering humanity, but for her kindness of heart 
and loyalty of character. Letters, testimonials, affidavits, in 
fact, whole stacks of documentary evidence, has she in her pos- 
session to prove that her professional career has been one of 
continuous success in battling with disease, no matter in what 
form the dread enemy has faced her. At a touch of her magic 
hand pain is vanquished, and you realize that the days of 
miracles are not yet passed. Who is " The Little Doctor " ? 
She is Mrs. Nellie Craib-Beighle, and she may be said to be to 
the sick and suffering of San Francisco what Florence Night- 
ingale was to the wounded soldiers upon the battlefield — a veri- 
table Samaritan. 



78 Book of Knowledge. 

People are prone to speak lightly of that which they do not 
understand. It is so easy to denounce as " impossible " that 
which is beyond our comprehension! Dr. Beighle does not 
claim to perform her wonderful — one should say her marvellous 
— cures unaided. 

Surely the source must be nothing else than divine when a 
human hand and arm are endowed with ability to eradicate 
disease from the system of a patient. " The Little Doctor's " 
arm is a tower of strength to the weak, an instrument of physical 
salvation to the suffering. Seeing is believing, and no one can 
go to her for treatment without being convinced of the fact that 
the little Doctor is most marvellously gifted with healing arts, 
and that Shakespeare uttered a great truth when he made one 
of his characters say, " There are more things in Heaven and 
earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Dr. 
Beighle enjoys the gratitude and admiration of all whom she 
has benefited. 

Her handsome offices in the Emma Spreckels Building are 
thronged daily with people who, once knowing her, believe once 
more that life is worth living. Her reception room, 401, is as 
bright and cheerful and restful as is the little Doctor herself. 
The writer was charmingly received there. Let the reader, 
also, go and be made welcome. — Town Talk, October 26, 1895. 

NATURE GIVES POWER TO HEAL. 

MEDICINE AND INSTRUMENTS DISCARDED BY A ICjTH CENTURY 
DOCTOR. " TO DO GOOD IS MY RELIGION, TO CURE THE SICK MY 
MISSION." MEN AND WOMEN PROMINENT IN CITY AND 
STATE TELL OF HEALTH RESTORED. 

Ring out the old, ring in the new; 
Ring out the false, ring in the true, 

has a wider application perhaps than the poet knew when he 
penned the famous lines. In the healing art, book knowledge 
derived from the schools and so-called scientific institutions has 
signally failed to conquer the diseases which prey upon man- 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 79 

kind and make desolate countless homes. The old regime of 
nauseous medicines, the surgeon's knife and the whole para- 
phernalia of instruments of torture have been weighed in the 
balance and found wanting. 

At the close of the century a more rational method of treat- 
ment, evolved from Nature's Arcana, like a ray of light pierces 
the gloom and meets with instant and widespread success. 

This revolution, fraught with so much of hope and blessing 
to poor humanity, has been accomplished by the work of one 
woman, who has resided among us for the last seventeen years, 
but so modest, so unassuming have been her ministrations 
among an army of the afflicted to whom she has brought health 
and happiness that our community little knew that in Dr. Nellie 
Beighle, or " The Little Doctor," as her patients endearingly 
term her, San Francisco possessed the most successful healer of 
our day. 

The story of her discovery of the healing power developed in 
her right arm to touch the sick and bid them be whole is 
familiar to our readers. Within that potent right arm " the 
Giver of every good and perfect gift " has made the seat of an 
occult force which science has often essayed to describe, but as 
often failed " to pluck out the heart of its mystery." 

A Call reporter paid a visit to her beautiful offices on the 
fourth floor of the Emma Spreckels building yesterday. A 
throng of patients awaited their turn in the reception room. 
The Doctor obeys the injunction, " Physician, heal thyself," for 
the glow of health sparkles in her eye and its roses mantle in 
her cheek. There is something masterful, yet tender, in her 
manner as she accosts her patients, and their first step on 
health's highway is taken in confidence and love. 

The doctor is a charming conversationalist, and in answer 
to a question said she treated forty patients a day. Being urged 
to describe her methods of treatment she modestly said she was 
afraid she couldn't, for no two persons were treated alike. 

" The power which God has given me," she said reverently, 
" enables me to treat the patient through natural laws. In nerv- 
ous diseases I am especially interested, and the numberless ex- 
pressions of gratitude from sufferers from this cruel form of 

\ 



80 Book of Knowledge. 

disease, restored to health by my instrumentality, are among 
my most precious possessions. 

" I treat all diseases of the stomach except cancer," she con- 
tinued, " together with kidney, liver and rheumatic affections — 
in fact, all diseases." 

She stated to the reporter that her charges were $5 for a 
single treatment, or $15 for a course. It is a remarkable fact 
that the doctor diagnoses a case without asking a question, and 
it is conceded that in this regard she stands without a peer. 
The reporter wanted to see some of the testimonials from promi- 
nent people, about which so much had been said. " That I can- 
not permit," she said, and a look of firmness came into the 
kindly eyes and a tone of severity to the gentle voice. " The 
letters of patients are inviolate, and can be shown only with the 
consent of the writers. However, here are the names of a few 
prominent professional and business people whom you may 
interview if you desire. But in any case, their names must not 
be published." 

" You may say for me," said one of the best known real 
estate men in the city, " that Dr. Beighle saved my life. I 
received a fall in 1849 which compelled me to give up my busi- 
ness. I tried the best physicians East and in Europe without 
benefit. I went to her and got cured. You can't say too much 
in her praise." " I have been a sufferer from nervous trouble 
for years," remarked the wife of the foregoing, " and Dr. 
Beighle has restored me to first-class health. For nervous 
troubles Dr. Beighle has no equal." 

Both of the above volunteered enough information of cures 
effected by " The Little Doctor " to fill columns. 

A well-known ex-Senator testified to having had stomach and 
liver complaints which made life a burden. He tried, without 
success, the most eminent physicians and the best springs. " Dr. 
Beighle restored me to perfect health," he concluded enthusi- 
astically. 

A public man who once held the second highest office in the 
State had an affection of the eyes and was fast becoming blind. 
His experience with the most noted specialists in diseases of the 
eye here and elsewhere brought him no relief. " At last I ap- 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 81 

plied to Dr. Beighle, with the result that she completely restored 
my sight." 

These are a few people taken at random out of scores that 
live to testify to health and happiness restored. And surely 
these grateful voices must fall like a benediction on the un- 
crowned queen of the divine mission of healing. — Call, Decem- 
ber 25, 1896. 



DIFFICULTIES OF AN INTERVIEWER. 

MYSTIC FORCE THAT SUBJUGATES DISEASE. PRIESTESS OF THE 
NEW DISPENSATION WHO DISCARDS THE SURGEON^ SCALPEL 
AND PHYSICIAN'S DRUGS. 

I went up to the Emma Spreckels Building yesterday in- 
structed to obtain an interview with one of the most unique and 
interesting personalities of which this many-sided metropolis 
can boast, for the benefit of the readers of the Christmas Call. 
Interviewing has its difficulties at times, and when your vis-a- 
vis is a delightful conversationalist, and talks charmingly and 
freely on any subject, except herself, what are you going to do ? 

Who has not heard of Dr. Nellie Beighle, San Francisco's 
beloved " Little Doctor," whose name is an inspiration to once 
darkened lives and homes? 

She occupies an entire side of the Spreckels Building on the 
fourth floor, and these rooms, furnished with quiet elegance, 
are the Mecca of daily increasing throngs afflicted with almost 
all of humanity's ills. The reception room was well filled in 
the morning hour, and it was a veritable pleasure to note the 
quick light of confiding affection that came into the eyes of her 
patients as she entered. 

I have mentioned how reluctantly she alludes to herself, 
instinctively shrinking from notoriety, a characteristic well 
understood by her friends. 

But her admirers are more communicative, and lovingly 
dwell on her miraculous gifts, her life consecrated to the noblest 
use that this world can afford — the divine mission of healing. 
They tell of men and women prominent in the world of busi- 



82 Book of Knowledge. 

ness, learned professions and society, a prey to devouring 
disease, dwellers in an Inferno of sorrow, to whom the world's 
physicians could bring no balm or hope, rescued by the " Little 
Doctor's " divine art and enriched with health's energies and 
enjoyments. 

From these grateful spirits what is written here was ob- 
tained, the gentle Doctor being inflexible in not permitting the 
names of patients to be used. 

The development of magnetic power in the Doctor's won- 
drous right arm is familiar history. Its potency to subjugate 
disease came as a revelation, and this earnest soul, herself a 
woman of culture, a former teacher in the public schools, saw 
in the occult energy that so strangely became part of her only 
the path of duty and enlarged opportunities of doing good. 
The sick came to her, and her success attracted the attention of 
scientists and the medical profession. Here was a new con- 
ception of Nature, and it mystified them. They were fettered 
with the prejudices of ancient schools and they could not under- 
stand this new enlargement of human power. A committee of 
the Oakland Psychical Research Society was appointed to in- 
vestigate her. She modestly appeared before it. The signed 
report speaks of the rigid precautions observed, and specifies 
the manner in which she demonstrated her power by placing 
her right hand upon the head of a member of the committee, 
who " reported feeling a distinct shock, similar in character to 
which one would receive when coming in contact with an elec- 
tric battery. When the lady touched the hair upon his head 
with the tips of her fingers the result was the same. If she 
touched the back of the chair the same force was observed." 

The report is very interesting and received wide publicity. 
Suffice it to say that the committee was thoroughly convinced 
of her power. 

What is this mystic force which sets at naught the learning 
of the schools? By its fruits it can be judged. " Dr. Beighle 
saved my life," said one of the most prominent merchants in 
the city. " I tried the best physicians in the East and in Europe 
without avail. She cured me permanently." A United States 
Senator testified to a cure of stomach and liver complaint that 



Record of Some Wonderful Cures. 83 

the most famous springs and physicians could not relieve. But 
space forbids the recital of cases of restored health from the 
lips of grateful men and women. 

The Doctor exemplifies in her own person the secret and liv- 
ing force with which God has dowered her ; she is radiant with 
health and grace, and her features express her soul and its aspira- 
tions. Her innate sympathy reproduces in her gentle breast 
the suffering of the patient. This may explain in part her suc- 
cess in nervous diseases, and her modest reference to it. " I 
am deeply interested in this cruel form of disease, and I cherish 
the grateful testimony of sufferers whom it has been my privi- 
lege to restore to health." 

The regime of scalpel and drug seems to be passing away, 
and in its stead has come the new dispensation of which the 
" Little Doctor " is the seer and priestess. — Lura Smalley, 
Call, December 18, 1898. 



CHAPTER III. 

CONTROLS AND MEDIUMS. 

Sir Astley Cooper, a celebrated English surgeon, was born 
at Brooke, in Norfolk, where his father was a curate, in August, 
1768. In his sixteenth year he went to London and placed him- 
self under the care of Mr. Cline, one of the most noted surgeons 
of his day. He devoted himself with ardor to his profession, 
and was a constant attender at the dissecting rooms, and also 
at the lectures of the famous John Hunter. In 1787 C. was 
appointed demonstrator of anatomy at St. Thomas's Hospital ; 
and four years after he assisted Mr. Cline, who was surgeon at 
St. Thomas's, in the course of lectures on anatomy and surgery. 
In 1792 he was appointed Professor of Anatomy at Surgeon's 
Hall, and in 1800 surgeon to Guy's Hospital. In 1813 he re- 
ceived the professorship of comparative anatomy in the College 
of Surgeons. Meanwhile, C. had been enriching medical liter- 
ature by various contributions. An essay on the effects result- 
ing from the destruction of the membrana tympani gained him, 
in 1802, the Copley medal of the Royal Society, of which he was 
elected a Fellow three years afterwards. In 1804-1807 appeared 
his great work on Hernia, with illustrations mostly of life size, 
a contribution of the utmost value to medical science — the anat- 
omy of the disease and the mode of operating for its relief being 
little understood before — though in a pecuniary point of view 
it proved very unprofitable to himself. The practical part of his 
profession was not neglected during this time. He was the 
first to attempt the tying of the carotid artery, an attempt which, 
though unsuccessful in his hands, has since proved effectual in 
the hands of other practitioners. His annual income, which in 
the fifth year of his practise amounted only to one hundred 
pounds, had in 1813 risen to the enormous sum of twenty-one 
thousand pounds, perhaps the largest ever received by a sur- 



Controls ana Mediums. 85 

geon. In 1817 he tried what has been considered the boldest 
experiment ever attempted in surgery, the tying of the aorta, 
which did not prove successful ; and it has since been tried with 
no better result. In 1820 C. removed a steatomatous tumor 
from the head of George IV., who marked his appreciation of 
the operation by conferring a baronetcy upon C. some six 
months after. In 1822 he was elected one of the Court of Ex- 
aminers of the College of Surgeons, and in 1827 president. In 
the following year he received the appointment of sergeant- 
surgeon to the king, and in 1830 was made Vice-President of 
the Royal Society. Other honors flowed in upon him. He was 
made a member of the French Institute and corresponding 
member of the Royal Academy of Sciences, a D.C.L. of Ox- 
ford, and an LL.D. of Edinburgh. 

Ever busy with his pen as with his knife he, in 1822, pub- 
lished a work on " Dislocations and Fractures," which threw 
much new light on the subjects discussed, and also suggested 
improved methods of treatment. His treatise on the " Anat- 
omy and Diseases of the Breast" (1829-1840) was characterized 
by all the care, research, and originality which distinguished 
his previous works ; so likewise was his " Anatomy of the Thy- 
mus Gland," 1832. C. died February 12, 1841. A colossal 
statue to his memory is erected in St. Paul's Cathedral, Lon- 
don. As a teacher, C. possessed the faculty of communicating 
knowledge in a manner at once easy and agreeable ; and he ele- 
vated medical surgery, the operations of which before his time 
have been described as a series of " frightful alternatives, or 
hazardous compromises," into a science. 

A dear friend who was traveling in Europe copied the follow- 
ing inscription from the monument erected to Sir Astley 
Cooper, in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England: 

Sir Astley Paston Cooper, Baronet, K.C.N., F.R.S., D.C.L., 
Member of the National Institute of France, Sergeant- Surgeon 
to their late Majesties Geo. IV., Wm. IV., to her present Ma- 
jesty Queen Victoria, and for a period of forty-two years Sur- 
geon to Guy's Hospital. 

Born 1768. Died 1841. 

Animated by a fervent attachment to the science and prac- 
tise of his profession, it was the study of his life to augment and 



86 Book of Knowledge. 

exemplify the resources of surgery, and by a most assiduous, 
benevolent and successful application of his time and talents 
to this noble department of the healing art, not his country 
alone, but the world, became indebted to his exertions and 
familiar with his fame. 

As a memorial of their admiration, his contemporaries and 
pupils have erected this monument to perpetuate his name and 
his example. 

Sir Astley Cooper is my principal control. 



MOLLIE C. SMITH. 

Mrs. Mollie Smith, the wonderful psychic, the "Trumpet 
Medium," and Mrs. Maud Lord Drake are the only two 
mediums I have ever associated with and invited to my home and 
table. Mrs. Mollie Smith, God bless her! Indeed, He has 
blessed her when He selected her for the wonderful power. 
She is as nearly an angel as one can get to be on this earth. Her 
powers are peculiar, and so wonderful. She generally sits for 
five at a time. The first sitting I ever had with her was one 
evening when a gentleman and his wife (he was once Governor 

of California) and a Mrs. T were invited to dinner at a 

friend's house to meet Mrs. Smith and have an evening with 
her. After dinner we retired to the back parlor, there being a 
piano and a few chairs in the room. The host told the Governor 
he wanted him to tie Mrs. Smith, and he produced three pieces 
of wide white tape for that purpose. After he had tied her as 
only a sailor can, the host then handed him nails and hammer 
and told him he wanted him to nail her to the floor, so he would 
be sure she could not handle the " ' phone," which is a trumpet 
about two feet in length, with one end small and the other about 
four inches in diameter. This 'phone, when being used, is 
brought up close to the ear and a private conversation can be 
carried on between the angel loved one and the one seeking in- 
formation. 

After Mrs. Smith was securely tied and nailed, we six, the 
host and hostess, Governor and his wife, Mrs. T and my- 






Controls and Mediums. 87 

self, sat down in a half circle a number of feet from Mrs. Smith, 
and joined hands. Then the lights were put out, and we sat 
there for a long time — I think about two hours — when the piano 
began to play, and a power was handling the " 'phone," and 
began to speak through it. The Governor became so excited; 
as we had all joined hands, and all searching for the truth, one 
could hardly blame him. He turned to me, as I sat next to 
him, and said, " Doctor, are you helping Mrs. Smith ? " I 
laughed heartily, as he did not notice that he not only held my 
hands, but had placed his feet over mine. When I called his 
attention to it, Mrs. Smith spoke up and said, " You have for- 
gotten, Governor, that you have not only tied my hands to- 
gether and tied me to the chair, but you have also nailed me to 
the floor." 

You cannot believe what a wonderful evening we had. When 
the angels had ceased to speak with us, the lights were turned 
up, and Mrs. Smith, poor, dear girl, had sat there for four hours 
in one position, the tapes being tied so tightly that it made her 
hands swell so you could not see the tape. The sitting was 
hard on her, but it made that many more converts to the truth. 

Mrs. Smith sat forty consecutive nights before the Psychical 
Research Society of Boston, and the investigation was all writ- 
ten up in the Arena. Her principal control is General Wilbur 
Thompson, familiarly known as " Wilbur," and whose intel- 
ligence baffles the most skeptical; and as a peacemaker, well, 
he has no equal. He is so full of mirth that one longs to go to 
the higher life, too. God bless him ! He has been a panacea 
to many poor darkened souls. Yes, God has indeed blessed 
him when He gave him Mrs. Smith as the instrument to lighten 
the burdens of the people, and make better all he could speak to. 
I can but poorly express what I know about him and his work. It 
is all so wonderful, so grand, that one seems so insignificant 
compared to them; and I have never known any one who has 
ever spent an evening with the angels and Mrs. Smith but 
wanted to be better, that is, if he had any intelligence at all. 
In these later years Mrs. Smith has been one of my warmest 
friends. My home has always been open to her, the same as 
her own, and I always felt honored when she accepted it. 



88 Book of Knowledge. 

Beautiful in character, beautiful in thought, a fitting instrument 
for God's work. 



MAUD LORD DRAKE. 

Mrs. Maud Lord Drake is another wonderful psychic. I 
had often heard about her but never had had the pleasure of 
meeting her. I noticed in the morning paper her arrival at the 
Palace, and 'phoned my son-in-law to go to the hotel and see if 
I could make an engagement with her. He did so, but found 
she had left the Palace, and the clerk could not give him any 
information about her. The next night I was sitting in the car 
when Mr. W ,an old patient and friend, entered. He was sur- 
prised to see me, and I joked him a little about being out so 
late, when he began to tell me about what a wonderful evening 
he had with some friends who had invited him to meet Mrs. 
Maud Lord Drake. Of course I became deeply interested, and 
asked him what he thought about her, knowing him to be very 
skeptical. He said, " Doctor, she has wonderful power." I 
then asked him if he thought there would be any opportunity of 
my getting her to come to my home. He said he would see his 
friend the first thing in the morning and ask him to speak to 
Mrs. Drake for me. The next day I received a message from 
Mr. W saying Mrs. Drake would come to my home Wed- 
nesday evening, as she was anxious to meet me; also, that she 
had intended going away in a day or two, but would remain 

over to be with me. Mr. W wanted me to reserve a seat 

in the circle for him. He also wrote me that I could have 
twenty people in the circle. I immediately began sending out 
invitations. My guests were bankers, lawyers, doctors, and 
some who were leading members in different churches. 

Mr. W came at seven o'clock, so he and my son could 

prepare the seance room. They took the back parlor for that 

purpose, taking out all furniture except chairs. Mr. W 

advised me to take Mrs. Drake into the dining-room when she 
came so she would not become familiar with the voices of the 
guests. I did so, and when I presented her to the guests I 
mentioned only her name. We all went into the back parlor 



Controls and Mediums. 89 

and Mrs. Drake seated us. My son-in-law thought it was going 
to be very warm, so Mrs. Drake asked me if I had any fans. 
I happened to have two, and brought them in. During the 
seance we could feel the fans moving, although every one in the 
circle joined hands and Mrs. Drake sat in the centre of the 
circle, and kept clapping her hands together so we would all 
know where she was. The gas had not been turned out three 
minutes when all present began to feel small hands and large 
ones on them, and eight distinct voices were speaking at once, 
giving messages all around the circle. Two little girls (I saw 
them myself) materialized and told their names. They came 
for D. F. Walker, the banker from Salt Lake City, and his wife. 
Now remember, we could hear Maud Lord Drake giving tests 
to different ones during that time. When we first sat down 
Mrs. Drake asked me, "Who is the most skeptical?" I told 
her they were all skeptics. Well, the God-power and the angel 
friends did well, and one and all were wonder-stricken. I had 
Mrs. Drake ten times at my home after that, and invited the 
guests myself. All were well pleased with her God-given 
power. 

Mrs. Maud Lord Drake is a very lovely woman. She has 
always borne an excellent character, and is beloved by all who 
know her. I know I love her very dearly. She has been in my 
home many times, and I hope to have her again. She has given 
tests before all the noted people. May the angels continue 
with her. 

Questions are often asked me regarding evil spirits and 
how they get possession of one. I always caution all with 
whom I come in contact and who are interested in such matters, 
and are turning their thoughts to the life beyond, to be very 
careful about visiting so-called fortune tellers and mediums on 
a low plane. Let me explain what I mean when I say on a low 
plane: so many claiming to be mediums are not fit to be before 
the public, because they are not sufficiently developed. They 
get a little clairvoyance and then put out a card for the public, 
and what they do not get through the spirit power they make 
up — anything and everything — disgusting you and bringing 



90 Book of Knowledge. 

around you an influence which is of the undeveloped spirit, 
those who have been ushered into the other life unprepared and 
impure, and if you are at all mediumistic, the first thing you 
know you are influenced by them. Such an influence will cause 
you great trouble and annoyance to get rid of, so my advice to 
you is to find a medium who is morally good and pure, and, when 
you do, ask of God and from your very soul that power shall 
be given to your spirit friends to come and communicate with 
you. Many people themselves are to blame. They go to a 
psychic with dishonesty; that is, they make up their minds to 
puzzle the medium, and not accept the truth when it is given 
them, thereby bringing an influence of that kind around them. 
So many times I have found young mediums (because they are 
mediumistic, or they could not get possession of them) with evil 
influences coming to them in this way. I would advise my dear 
readers to read the book entitled " The Gadarene," by that 
grand, intelligent man, Dr. J. M. Peebles. I advise you all to 
read that book, as I advise my dear patients to take their boys 
and girls to the Anatomical Museum and let them see the 
dangers they may be thrown into. 

I have had so many cases brought into the office of those 
who were obsessed. One lady, of whom I will relate here, 
who was obsessed by an unclean spirit. You know Christ 
speaks of this, For he said unto him, come out of the man, thou 
unclean spirit. St. Mark, V, 8. 

I was in one of the operating rooms when I was called to 
come quickly. I entered the office and a lady seemed to be 
choking. I realized in an instant that it was a case of obses- 
sion, and, having handled many cases before of a similar nature, 
I immediately called on the Holy Power, and, placing my hand 
on her head, commanded him to leave. As I did so I saw the 
spirit of the most repulsive looking man, with such a diabolical 
grin on his face, but our power soon took him away. I ascer- 
tained that this lady's husband had died very suddenly. She 

told me that her husband, Mr. T , had been feeling badly ; 

he thought he would take a rest for a week and that the change 
would do him good, so one day they went over to Lake Merritt 
to take a row on the lake. Mrs. T said they were enjoying 



Controls and Mediums. 91 

it so much, when her attention was attracted to a boat coming 
toward them ; in turning round to speak to her husband she saw 
him fall back on his seat. Her screams brought the people in 

the rowboat to her assistance, but too late. Mr. T was 

dead. The shock nearly killed the poor wife. She told me that 
after she began to get over it, she hunted up several mediums, 
hoping to hear from her husband, and, being mediumistic, this 
influence had taken hold of her and had told her that she was 
going to die, too, purporting to be her husband, and told her 
to give away everything that belonged to her to her friends. 
Poor woman, she did so, causing her at the time she was 
brought to me to be in straitened circumstances. Well, we suc- 
ceeded in getting her all right, and later on she married a very 
excellent man. 

Always remember, dear reader, that " like attracts like." 
If you go to a medium for divine information, do not lock the 
door of your soul when you go there, but open it wide, and send 
forth your very best thoughts, and God will send your loved 
ones to meet you in the same manner. 

I am going to copy from " Outside the Gates," by Mary 
Shelhamer, whose work through the " Banner of Light " many 
are familiar with. I always call " Outside the Gates " my Bible, 
having seen myself so many things mentioned in it. I want to 
show, if one does not do right here, how they have to suffer 
" outside the gates." 

Mary Shelhamer is a very wonderful medium who was with 
the " Banner of Light " for many years. She would be put 
under control by her intelligent guides, and a reporter would 
take down what she said for the " Banner of Light." Thousands 
of dear angels were able to communicate with their dear ones 
on earth in this manner. 

" Outside the Gates " came under my notice in a very pecu- 
liar way. I had been taken out of the body so many, many 
times, traveling in the " higher life." It was all so wonderful 
to me that I was filled with surprise. One day I was directed 
to this book, " Outside the Gates," by the Holy Power, and 
when I read it, I found many, many things in it which I had ex- 
perienced. Therefore I prized the author and the book very 



92 Book of Knowledge. 

much. I have bought a great many of the books and given 
them to patients and friends ; those who were spiritual enough 
appreciated them. I have myself seen, from the lower to the 
higher, which is written in this book. I will give here " Spirits 
in Darkness/' showing how they are compelled to be " outside 
the gate." By permission of Mary T. Shelhammer-Longley. 



y SPIRITS OF DARKNESS. 

(From Chapter IV.) 

Again I found myself outside the heavenly walls that glowed 
before me with a richer beauty and a clearer light than they had 
done before; the atmosphere around me seemed a little less 
heavy and dense than it had been in my former sojourn here, 
and I breathed with greater ease; a feeling of — not exactly 
peace or content, but something less despairing than my former 
frame of mind, possessed me, and I observed that my robes, 
that before seemed of a funereal black, now appeared of a dark 
blue color. Still, I drew their folds around me, for I was not 
yet prepared to expose my features to my fellow travellers, nor 
to take a general interest in their welfare. The sight of the 
golden gates again drew my heart toward their portals, and a 
great sorrow that I was unworthy to enter the land that lay 
beyond filled my being. 

Thus again I paced to and fro with bowed head and heavy 
heart; but now I would occasionally look up and glance at those 
who hurried by me or who sat around in gloomy postures or 
despairing or abandoned attitudes; for since my experience with 
Lettie I could never again be altogether indifferent to the sor- 
rows of my fellow creatures. 

At length I was drawn to a solitary, hard-visaged young 
woman, who constantly remained in one place, and crouched 
low as if to bury herself from sight. Usually her features wore 
a defiant, reckless expression that forbade all approach; but 
once or twice I observed a softer shade sweep over them, as 
though love, or repentance, or some spiritual emotion was work- 
ing in her breast. Finally, moved by her utterly forlorn and 



Controls and Mediums. 93 

hopeless aspect, I resolved to try to draw her into conversa- 
tion, and approached her for that purpose. Her entire appear- 
ance was so utterly repelling and forbidding as she confronted 
me that I shrank back appalled, and, contenting myself by simply 
saying, " My poor woman, I pity you ! If I can help you, let 
me know, for I, too, am one who suffers and I know how to 
sympathize with others," left her again to herself. 

But having once spoken to the poor creature, I could not 
rest without again attempting to offer her consolation, and, 
after many rebuffs and failures to elicit anything from her, she 
finally broke into moans and wails of distress, and, crouch- 
ing at my feet like a wounded animal, revealed to me her tale 
of woe. 

Never shall I forget the shock of horror, of pain and fear 
that went over me as I listened to the terrible story. I cannot 
relate it to you in all its horrors. This creature had been an 
abandoned woman of the streets. For years she had lived a 
life of shame, and, even worse than bartering her own woman- 
hood in passion or for gold, she had been instrumental in induc- 
ing other women to part with their virtue and self-respect. A 
life of horror and misery passed, until one day she was con- 
fronted by the jealous fury of one to whom she had promised to 
be faithful, and before she had time to defend herself or to offer 
a word of explanation he felled her to the floor and fled from 
the scene. The woman lingered in the body for a week, and 
then her struggling spirit was released from its prison of pain. 
The man was arrested, tried for and convicted of manslaughter, 
and sentenced to imprisonment for life. 

This was the substance of that dreadful tale, from which I 
shrank as its recital fell upon my soul like a burning flame that 
scorched and withered me. But the poor woman continued, 
" I have been a vile, vile creature, cursed by God and man, and 
hated by the very ones who clustered round me ; but there were 
times when I wanted to do right and tried to be good, but I 
couldn't do it. Once I went to a strange place and tried to get 
honest work ; but the people looked at me with suspicion, and 
no one would employ me — and then I cursed them all, and re- 
turned to the only means I had of earning my bread. I was not 



94 Book of Knowledge. 

always the bad thing you see me ; I was once a fair, gay-hearted 
girl; they flattered and spoiled me at home till my head was 
turned, and when a young fellow asked me to run away with 
him and get married I went. He did not give me a wedding 
ring, but he robbed me of my honor and then deserted me. I 
went home, but my father said I was no child of his, and my 
mother was dead, and so I turned away to the vile life of the 
streets. Don't think I am all bad," she moaned, lifting her 
heavy eyes to mine ; " I was true to Jack ; such as I was, I was 
all his after I came to love him. I would go to him now if I 
could find him. I clung close to him all through the trial, and 
if they had hanged him, I should have cursed them. But they 
took him away, and somehow I lost him and got here. I love 
him and I want to find him ; he must be lonesome. Help me to 
go to him." 

The woman clung to me in desperate supplication; all the 
fear and horror vanished from my heart, and a feeling of great 
compassion seized me. She had been wicked, and vile, and de- 
graded, but she was a human creature. Was she not worth 
helping? She had once been innocent, and pure and sweet. 
Could I help her to find her lost purity and draw her to a realiza- 
tion of a better life? Heaven helping me, I would do what I 
could. 

I will not pause to tell you how I labored. I know now that 
an inspiration and an assistance from higher sources guided me 
on. Once we both caught a glimpse of a sweet, mild counte- 
nance beaming upon us through the shadows, but she cried in 
terror, " That is my mother ; take her away ! take her away ! 
Don't let her see me like this ! " and it vanished. 

I told her of the truths I had learned from angelic visitors 
through my medium sister on earth ; of the purposes of life, of 
how each should strive, in repenting of any past sin, to atone for 
it by trying to think holier thoughts, do better work, and to 
believe kindly things of all people. I gave her brief lessons at 
first; I showed her that I sympathized with her, and pitied her 
sad condition, and taught her that if / believed in her power to 
become purer and happier, how much greater faith and love 
must the angels have. She understood me; she knew I was 



Controls and Mediums. 95 

not selfish in my desire to lighten her sorrows. She clung to 
me, and gave me a kind of dumb devotion very touching to wit- 
ness. " Only help me to get to Jack," she would say, " and I 
will go anywhere or do anything to show my gratitude, or to 
help any other poor thing like myself! " 

But first we found that she must do other work, and she 
began to manifest a desire to hunt up some of the poor girls 
who had occupied her den of iniquity on earth, and to help them. 
I accompanied her in her quest, and in three instances, by our 
united will and influence, we succeeded in turning erring human 
souls into paths of rectitude and right-doing. When the third 
effort to save a fellow creature had been successfully made, I 
said to her, " I think now we can find Jack," and in a little 
while we did so, found him the lonely occupant of a stone cell ; 
and in the still hours of the night calling upon the name of her 
whose life he had destroyed, crying, " Kate ! Kate ! I was mad 
to do it ! For God's sake come and help me out of this cursed 
place." 

For awhile I tarried; long enough to see Kate fling herself 
by the side of the criminal with a great cry of love and tender- 
ness, a cry that revealed the depths of her heart to be still 
womanly, and loving, and warm; long enough to know that, 
through the ministrations of this spirit and by the teachings of 
a lovely woman who weekly visited the prisoner in his cell — 
a woman sent to the jail by a liberal Unitarian society, to take 
a flower and a kindly word to the imprisoned human beings 
there — a work of regeneration would be wrought in the heart 
of that rough and sinful man that would develop its first im- 
pulses of goodness. 

Then I turned to go. My charge drew near and whispered, 
" God bless you ! You have given me faith in Him and love 
for my fellow creatures. From the moment when you first 
spoke so pityingly to me and said you was a sufferer, too, and 
could sympathize with such as me, I loved you ; I longed to con- 
fide in you then, but could not till afterwards. God bless you 
forever ! " 

I gave her a parting embrace — why should I not ? Was she 
not my sister woman, and was she not nobly redeeming the 



96 Book of Knowledge. 

errors of the past ? and departed with a feeling akin to peace in 
my heart that had not for a long while dwelt upon its own 
sorrows ; and constantly the words rang through my soul, " In- 
asmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my 
children, ye have done it unto me ! " How sweet and holy they 
sounded, and how beautiful their application to the blessing 
called down upon me by my repentant friend ! 

I thought, " I will go to the sorrowful country again, but I 
will not grieve hopelessly over the past; I will strive to help 
others who are in woe; I may even find a blessing outside the 
gates." 

Once more I found myself in the old place ; but again the 
golden bars gleamed brighter in the clear beyond ; the air grew 
less heavy, and now I could see further into the haze that 
wrapped its folds over all the place. Glancing down as I moved 
along, I discovered a tiny flower occasionally appearing at my 
feet. " Ah ! " I thought, " this is not such a gloomy spot after 
all. The darkness seems to be more within ourselves than in 
our surroundings." I glanced at my garments ; they had as- 
sumed the appearance of a dark gray, and were fresher and 
brighter than before. 

Now I took a genuine interest in those around me, and as 
I approached them I found that I could read their condition and 
their sorrows, and that I had no need to ask an utterance of 
them. One woman had lived a life of deceptive practises ; after 
winning her confidence I revealed my history to her, and 
showed her how I had found relief and comfort, and bade her 
do likewise, by taking interest in her fellow sufferers. Another 
was wrapped in such a contemplation of her own pride and 
what she considered to be her virtues — but what appeared to 
me as follies — that I could make no impression on her. One 
man had been respected and loved by his earthly family and 
friends, but he had been a defaulter to a large amount in the 
establishment in which he was employed, and when his crime 
was discovered he took his own life. Here in the spirit world 
he was fully alive to his wrong-doing, and his soul was wrung 
in torture. The knowledge of the ignominy he had brought 
upon his innocent family lashed him into frenzy. I pitied him 



Controls and Mediums. 97 

from the depths of my heart, and for a long time sought in vain 
to win his attention. At length he gave it to me with an air 
of sufferance ; but as I proceeded to talk to him — inspired as I 
believe by some good angel — he grew interested and even ani- 
mated; and when I closed by advising him to confess his error 
and his pain to those he had wronged, and to send a private 
message of love and contrition to his wife and children, he 
consented to do so if I would show him how. 

The work was successfully performed. We found a pure- 
minded medium, a woman in private life, who gladly received 
the humiliated spirit and sent his communications to those for 
whom they were intended. Weak and humbled, but with a 
lightened heart, the sorrowing man sought his former home, 
and avowed to me his purpose of working constantly to bless 
those he had wronged. 

In the border land " outside the gates " I have seen the 
defiant brawler, the reckless gambler, and the bold and lawless 
woman of shame ; those who still hold their old hardihood are 
not yet prepared for spiritual ministrations ; they are neither 
teachable nor tractable ; but many from all depths of former 
debasement are ready to be operated upon by higher influences, 
as their contrite, repentant attitude attests, and they are 
promptly attended to by invisible but constant protectors and 
guides. 

On my return from that visit to the lovely medium with my 
new-found charge, I met in the twilight of earth the figure of 
a female whose face was buried on her arm, and who stood with 
her back toward me. Her whole attitude was one of shame 
and despair. I approached, and laying my hand on her arm, 
whispered, " I am a friend ; let me share your sorrow ; perhaps 
I can help you to find peace." She trembled and shrank from 
my touch, but did not lift her head. 

Again I essayed to draw her toward me, but without success. 
I could see the agitation of her mind and read her interior con- 
dition. 

" Come, my friend," I repeated, " let me share your burden. 
You are sad because of past errors. You feel that you were 
unfaithful to a holy mission ; that yours was a high calling, and 
7 



98 Book of Knowledge. 

you were not equal to its fulfilment. You now mourn because 
you prostituted sacred gifts to base ends. Do not shrink from 
me ; I do not condemn you ; a higher judge than I must alone 
bring you judgment. I pity and would help you. Give me 
your confidence." 

At my words the woman raised her face and fastened a 
penetrating gaze upon me, as if to read my sincerity. She must 
have been satisfied for she demanded, " Do you know who and 
what I am? " Assuring her that I had never seen or heard of 
her before, she continued : " You have truly stated my condition 
of mind. It is two years since I left the body, and I am still 
restless and miserable. I linger here or around my old home, 
but with no thought but the everlasting regret that fills my 
soul over the life of the past. You look like one who has suf- 
fered ; I will tell you of my past. Do you know what it is to be 
a medium? " 

She hurled the question at me as though it had been a ball 
from a cannon, so short and sharp and swift were her words. 

" I know something of the trials and conditions of medium- 
ship," I softly answered. " I have had mediumistic powers 
myself, and I have a loved sister on earth who is a mouthpiece 
for the angels." 

" God grant that she may be ever kept a pure instrument 
for angelic power, and be saved from the temptations and 
snares that sometimes beset such as she," ejaculated my com- 
panion. " If you are acquainted with the laws of mediumship, 
perhaps you know something of the influences and conditions 
that sway its subjects ; acted upon by unseen intelligences, they 
become very susceptible and sensitive, and are open to the con- 
trol of the influences who come about them. I was a medium 
on earth — one well known in a certain quarter. I was sought 
by all classes of persons who through interest or anxiety or 
curiosity wished to learn something of the invisible world 
through my occult powers. 

" For some years I successfully practised my profession as 
a reliable and honest medium for the spirit world; but after a 
while I found my powers failing; I could not always receive 
intelligence from my controls when I most needed it. I was 



Controls and Mediums. 99 

told by other mediums that my development was changing, and 
that soon I would become a medium of remarkable power. Ah ! 
then the temptation fell upon me to supplement my genuine 
gifts with fraudulent practises. I let it become known that I 
was developing wonderful powers, and in a little while I opened 
my house to the surging public. 

"I cannot repeat all the miserable artifices I used to deceive 
those who came to me for light — for light ! Oh, my God ! and 
I gave them darkness and deception ! I coined money ; I made 
many friends, who, had they known me as I was, would have 
scorned me. 

" But I parted with my self-respect ; I lost the dear spirit 
friends who had formerly guided me ; I failed in health, and at 
last I passed from the body. 

" You do not know how I suffered ; how I longed to be free 
from the fetters I had myself forged ; how I loathed the deceiv- 
ing influences who helped me to go on in my evil course, and 
whom I had myself by my own folly drawn around me. It did 
not make me happy to see my friends deceived ; I was not with- 
out conscience, and the terrible weight on my mind sent me 
untimely from the body." 

She paused in her recital, but I encouraged her to proceed, 
knowing that the effort would relieve her sorrows. " Since 
then," she continued, " I have wandered aimlessly back and 
forth, regretting my past mistakes and doing no good. Twice 
I have seen the sweet little innocent who was my messenger 
spirit in days past; but I could not bear to look at her and I 
turned away. Oh! how I have longed to throw myself at the 
feet of all mediums and shriek in their ears, ' For God's sake 
be true to yourselves! For your own future peace of mind give 
nothing in the name of the spirit world that does not emanate from 
its inhabitants! Be faithful to your holy work!' And oh! that 
all would heed my words. I know not any who are impure or 
dishonest ; all may be true, for aught I know. I was unfaithful 
to my gifts, and I am wretched ! " 

She ended with a wail of woe. Then, ah! then, how I 
talked to her; how I implored her to work for the atonement 
of her sin ; how I pleaded to take her to a true-hearted medium 

LofC, 



ioo Book of Knowledge. 

whom I knew, through whose instrumentality she might work 
a redeeming power for souls in bondage. 

At length she consented to accompany me ; and with her I 
retraced my way to the medium whom I had visited before. To 
this medium my companion repeated her unhappy tale; she 
was received kindly, and gently invited to come again. Not to 
enlarge, I will simply say that this unhappy spirit became a con- 
stant visitor to that beautiful medium, through whose ministra- 
tions of love she gained magnetic strength to begin a new work 
for humanity. 

After a period of trial she became a " cabinet spirit " for a 
genuine and noble-hearted medium, whose materializing powers 
were grandly employed by a wise band of intelligences for de- 
monstrating the truths of immortality to eager humanity; and in 
aiding inexperienced spirits to manifest to friends, in giving 
loving messages for those spirits who could not express them- 
selves, and in speaking words of counsel and admonition to 
those who come to her for instruction, she is performing a 
grand work, and is nobly atoning for the mistakes and errors of 
her earthly career. 

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden 
wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory. 
I Cor. II, 7. 

So many people whom I know speak in whispers about Spir- 
itualism, and when they go to a medium, it is under cover. They 
will get information many times, and yet they will not give credit 
to the dear ones. If they are ashamed of it, why do they ask for 
help? But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before 
the angels of God. St. Luke, XII, 9. I am receiving letters daily 
from people asking information through the " Power," and they 
acknowledge to me the benefits they receive through it, and yet 
to their friends they will not do so. Friends, be candid with your 
angel loved ones. Be as true to them as you would be to your 
loved ones here. When you receive the truth, acknowledge it 
openly ; by your doing so others will learn of the hereafter. Since 
I have known that there is a living God and that my sacred mother 
still lives, my life has been a constant prayer. Many people have 
asked me if I believe in prayer ; certainly I do. My sister " Sun- 



Controls and Mediums. 101 

shine " said (in answer to a question as to which is the best way 
to pray, mentally or audibly), "The vibrations from the voice 
act in a manner similar to a telegraph wire, so does audible prayer 
vibrate and connect with the God-power," but mental prayers 
count, too. I am going to give here some instances where prayers 
have been answered : 



REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE OF C. H. SPURGEON. 

On his fiftieth birthday, Rev. C. H. Spurgeon was interviewed 
in reference to his long and eventful ministerial life, especially as 
to his confidence in the efficacy of prayer. Being asked whether 
he had in any way modified his views, he replied: 

" Only in my faith growing far stronger and firmer than ever. 
It is not a matter of faith with me, but of knowledge and every- 
day experience. I am constantly witnessing the most unmistak- 
able instances of answers to prayer. My whole life is made up 
of them. To me they are so familiar as to cease to excite sur- 
prise ; but to many they would seem marvellous, no doubt. Why, 
I could no more doubt the efficacy of prayer than I could disbelieve 
the laws of gravitation. The one is as much a fact as the other, 
constantly verified every day in my life. Elijah, by the brook 
Cherith, as he received the daily rations from the ravens, could 
hardly be a more likely subject for skepticism than I. 

" Look at my orphanage. To keep it going entails an annual 
expenditure of about ten thousand pounds. Only one thousand 
four hundred is provided by endowment. The remaining eight 
thousand six hundred comes to me regularly in answer to prayer. 
I do not know where I shall get it from day to day. I ask God 
for it and He sends it. Mr. Muller, of Bristol, does the same on 
a far larger scale, and his experience is the same as mine. 

" The constant flow of funds— of all the funds necessary to 
carry on these works — is not stimulated by advertisements, by 
begging letters, by canvassing, or any of the usual modes of rais- 
ing the wind. We ask God for the cash, and He sends it. That 
is a good, material fact, not to be explained away. 

" But quite as remarkable illustrations of the efficacy of be- 



102 Book of Knowledge. 

lieving faith are constantly occurring in spiritual things. Some 
two years ago, a poor woman, accompanied by her neighbors, 
came to my vestry in deep distress. Her husband had fled the 
country ; in her sorrow she went to the house of God, and some- 
thing I said in the sermon made her think I was personally famil- 
iar with her case. Of course, I had known nothing about her. 
It was a general illustration that fitted a particular case. She 
told me her story, and a very sad one it was. I said : ' There is 
nothing we can do but to kneel down and cry to the Lord for 
the immediate conversion of your husband.' We knelt down, and 
I prayed that the Lord would touch the heart of the deserter, 
convert his soul, and bring him back to his home. When we 
arose from our knees, I said to the poor woman, ' Do not fret 
about the matter. I feel sure that your husband will come home, 
and that he will yet become connected with our church.' She 
went away, and I forgot all about it. Some months after, she 
reappeared, with her neighbors, and a man whom she introduced 
to me as her husband. He had indeed come back, and he had re- 
turned a converted man. On making inquiry and comparing 
notes, we found that the very day on which we had prayed for 
his conversion, he, being at that time on board a ship far away 
on the sea, stumbled most unexpectedly upon a stray copy of 
one of my sermons. He read it. The truth went to his heart. 
He repented, and sought the Lord, and as soon as possible he 
returned to his wife and to his daily calling. He was admitted a 
member, and last Monday his wife, who up to that time had not 
been a member, was received among us. That woman does not 
doubt the power of prayer. All the infidels in the world could not 
shake her conviction that there is a God that answereth prayer. 
" I should be the most irrational creature in the world if, with 
a life every day of which is full of experiences so remarkable, 
I entertained the slightest doubt on the subject. I do not regard 
it as miraculous ; it is a part and parcel of the established order 
of the universe, that the shadow of a coming event should fall 
in advance upon some believing soul in the shape of prayer for 
its realization. The prayer of faith is a Divine decree commenc- 
ing its operation." — " Faith Made Easy." 



i 



Controls and Mediums. 103 

ANNIE AND VANIE'S FIRST REAL PRAYER. 

Two sisters, one about five years of age, the other older, 
were accustomed to go each Saturday morning some distance 
from home, to get chips and shavings from a cooper shop. 

One morning, with basket well filled, they were returning 
home when the elder one was taken suddenly sick with cramps 
or cholera. She was in great pain and unable to proceed, much 
less to bear the basket home. She sat down on the basket, and 
the younger one held her from falling. The street was a lonely 
one, occupied by work-shops, factories, etc. Every one was busy 
within; not a person was seen on the street. The little girls 
were at a loss what to do. Too timid to go into any work-shop, 
they sat awhile as silent and quiet as the distressing pains would 
allow. Soon the elder girl said, " You know, Annie, that a good 
while ago Mother told us that if we ever got into trouble, we 
should pray and God would help us. Now you help me to get 
down upon my knees and hold me up and we will pray." There, 
on the side-walk, did these two little children ask God to send some 
one to help them home. The simple and brief prayer being ended, 
the sick girl was again helped up, and sat on the basket, waiting 
the answer to their prayers. 

Presently Annie saw, far down the street on the opposite side, 
a man come out from a factory, look around him, up and down 
the street, and go back into the factory. 

" Oh, sister, he has gone in again," said Annie. " Well," said 
Vanie, " perhaps he is not the one God is going to send. If he is, 
he will come back again." 

" There he comes again," said Annie. " He walks this way. 
He seems looking for something. He walks slowly, and is with- 
out his hat. He puts his hand to his head, as if he did not know 
what to do. Oh, sister, he has gone in again ; what shall we do ? " 

" That may not be the one whom God will send to help us," 
said Vanie. " If he is, he will come out again." 

" Oh, yes, there he is ; this time with his hat on," said Annie. 
" He looks this way ; he walks slowly, looking around on every 
side. He does not see us; perhaps the trees hide us. Now he 
sees us, and is coming quickly." 



104 Book of Knowledge. 

A brawny German, in broken accents, asks : " Oh, children, 
what is the matter ? " " Oh sir," said Annie, " sister here is so 
sick she cannot walk, and we cannot get home." 

" Where do you live, my dear ? " 

" At the end of this street ; you can see the house from here." 

" Never mind," said the man, " I takes you home." So the 
strong man gathered the sick child in his arms, and with her head 
pillowed upon his shoulder, carried her to the place pointed out 
by the younger girl. Annie ran round the house to tell her mother, 
that there was a man at the front door wishing to see her. The 
astonished mother, with a mixture of surprise and joy, took charge 
of the precious burden, and the child was laid upon a bed. 

After thanking the man she expected him to withdraw, but 
instead, he stood turning his hat in his hands, as one who wishes 
to say something, but knows not how to begin. The mother, 
observing this, repeated her thanks, and finally said, " Would you 
like me to pay you for bringing my child home? " 

" Oh, no," said he with tears, " God pays me ! God pays me ! 
I would like to tell you something, but I speak English so poorly 
that I fear you will not understand." The mother assured him 
that she was used to the German, and could understand him very 
well. 

" I am the proprietor of an ink factory," said he. " My men 
work by the piece. I have to keep separate accounts with each. 
I pay them every Saturday. At twelve o'clock they will be at my 
desk for their money. This week I have had many hindrances, 
and was behind with my books. I was working hard at them 
with the sweat on my face, in my great anxiety to be ready in 
time. Suddenly I could not see the figures ; the words in the book 
all ran together, and I had a plain impression on my mind that 
some one in the street wished to see me. I went out, looked up 
and down the street, but seeing no one went back to my desk 
and wrote a little. Presently the darkness was greater than 
before, and the impression stronger than before, that some one 
in the street needed me. Again I went out and looked up and 
down the street, walked a little way, puzzled to know what it 
meant. Was my hard work, and were the cares of business driv- 
ing me out of my wits? Unable to solve the mystery, I turned 



Controls and Mediums. 105 

again into my shop and to my desk. This time my fingers re- 
fused to grasp the pen. I found myself unable to write a word 
or make a figure; but the impression was stronger than ever in 
my mind that some one needed my help. A voice seemed to 
say, ' Why don't you go out as I tell you ? There is need of your 
help/ This time I took my hat on going out, resolved to stay 
until I found out whether I was losing my senses, or there was 
a duty for me to do. I walked some distance without seeing any 
one, and was more and more puzzled, till I came opposite the 
children, and found that there was indeed need of my help. I 
cannot understand it, madam." 

As the noble German was about leaving the house the younger 
girl had the courage to say : " O, mother, we prayed." Thus the 
mystery was solved, and with tear-stained cheeks, a heaving 
breast, and a humble, grateful heart, the kind man went back to 
his accounts. 

I have enjoyed many a happy hour in conversation with Annie 
in her own house since she has a home of her own. The last 
I knew of Annie and Vanie, they were living in the same city, 
earnest Christian women. Their children were growing up 
around them, and, I hope, will have like confidence in mother, 
and faith in God. 



SEND FOOD TO JOHN. 

On the summit of Washington Mountain, overlooking the 
Housatonic valley, stood a hut, the home of John Barry, a poor 
charcoal-burner, whose family consisted of his wife and himself. 
His occupation brought him in but a few dollars, and when cold 
weather came he had managed to get together only a small por- 
tion of provisions for the winter. The fall of 1874, after a sum- 
mer of hard work, he felt sick and was unable to keep his fires 
going. So, when the snow of December, 1874, fell, and the drifts 
had shut off communication with the village at the foot of the 
mountain, John and his wife were in great straits. 

Their entire stock of food consisted of only a few pounds of 
salt pork and a bushel of potatoes; sugar, flour, coffee and tea 
had, early in December, given out ; and the chances for replenish- 



106 Book of Knowledge. 

ing the larder were slim indeed. The snow-storm came again, 
and the drifts deepened. All the roads, even in the valley, were 
impassable, and no one thought of trying to open the mountain 
highways, which, even in summer, were only occasionally trav- 
eled ; and none gave the old man and his wife a thought. 

December 15th came, and with it the heaviest fall of snow 
experienced in Berkshire county in many years. The food of 
the old couple was now reduced to a day's supply, but John did 
not yet despair. He was a Christian and a God-fearing man, and 
his promises were remembered ; and so, when evening came, and 
the northeast gale was blowing, and the fierce snow-storm was 
raging, John and his wife were praying and asking for help. 

In Sheffield village, ten miles away, lived Deacon Brown, a 
well-to-do farmer fifty years old, who was known for his piety 
and consistent deportment, both as a man and a Christian. The 
deacon and his wife had gone to bed early, and, in spite of the 
storm without, were sleeping soundly, when with a start the 
deacon awoke and said to his wife : " Who spoke ? Who's 
there ? " " Why," said his wife, " no one is here but you and 
me ; what is the matter with you ? " (; I heard a voice," said the 
deacon, " saying, ' Send food to John.' " " Nonsense," replied 
Mrs. Brown ; "go to sleep. You have been dreaming." The 
deacon laid his head on his pillow, and was asleep in a minute. 
Soon he started up again, and waking his wife, said, " There, I 
heard that voice again, ' Send food to John.' " " Well, well ! " 
said Mrs. Brown, " Deacon you are not well ; your supper has 
not agreed with you. Lie down and try to sleep." Again the 
deacon closed his eyes, and again the voice was heard : " Send 
food to John." This time the deacon was thoroughly awake. 
" Wife," said he, " whom do we know named John who needs 
food ? " " No one I remember," replied Mrs. Brown, " unless 
it be John Barry, the old charcoal-burner on the mountain." 

" That's it," exclaimed the deacon ; " now I remember, when I 
was at the store in Sheffield the other day, Clark, the merchant, 
speaking of John Barry, said: ' I wonder if the old man is alive, 
for it is six weeks since I saw him, and he has not yet laid in 
his winter stock of groceries.' It must be old John is sick and 
wanting food." 



Controls and Mediums. 107 

So saying, the good deacon arose and proceeded to dress him- 
self. " Come, wife," said he, " waken our boy Willie and tell 
him to feed the horses, and get ready to go with me; and do 
you pack up in the two largest baskets you have a good supply of 
food, and get us an early breakfast, for I am going up the moun- 
tain to carry the food I know John Barry needs." 

Mrs. Brown, accustomed to the sudden impulses of her good 
husband, and believing him to be always in the right, cheerfully 
complied; and after a hot breakfast, Deacon Brown and his son 
Willie, a boy of nineteen, hitched up the horses to the double 
sleigh, and then, with a month's supply of food and a " Good- 
bye, mother," started at five o'clock on that cold December morn- 
ing for a journey that almost any other than Deacon Brown and 
his son Willie would not have dared to undertake. 

The northeast storm was still raging, and the snow falling 
and drifting fast ; but on, on went the stout, well-fed team on its 
errand of mercy, while the occupants of the sleigh, wrapped up 
in blankets and extra buffalo robes, urged the horses through the 
drifts and in the face of the storm. That ten miles' ride, which 
required in the summer hardly an hour or two, was not finished 
until the deacon's watch showed that five hours had passed. 

At last they drew up in front of the hut where the poor, trust- 
ing Christian man and woman were on their knees praying for 
help to Him who is the " hearer and answerer of prayers ; " and 
as the deacon reached the door he heard the voice of supplication, 
and then he knew that the message which awakened him from 
sleep was sent from heaven. He knocked at the door, it was 
opened, and we can imagine the joy of the old couple, when the 
generous supply of food was carried in, and the thanksgivings 
that were uttered by the starving tenants of that mountain hut. — 
Albany Journal. 

I have never prayed for money, nor for anything selfishly. 
I have stood by the bedside of those who were nigh unto death, 
and prayed from my soul to let them remain longer on this earth, 
and I know my prayers have been answered. I have a sanctuary 
fti my home, and I enter it every night to be alone with God and 
my loved ones. I not only hear in my ear the dear voices, but 
I also hear them independently, and am also getting them in 



108 Book of Knowledge. 

the light. We frequently hear the raps at our dinner hour, and 
each loved one gives his or her peculiar rap. Sometimes our 
guests are quite surprised. My sanctuary is my church. 

God is a spirit : and they that worship Him must worship Him 
in spirit and in truth. St. John IV, 24. 

I have heard so many peculiar views expressed in the office 
in regard to religion. One lady begged me not to tell her mother 
that I was a Spiritualist, as her mother was a church member. 
Christ was a " Spiritualist." 

The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus 
said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: St. 
John IV, 17. 

For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast 
is not thy husband; in that saidst thou truly. St. John IV, 18. 

The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a 
prophet. St. John IV, 19. 

Come see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is 
not this the Christ? St. John IV, 29. 

As you see, dear readers, that the Christ, as I said before, 
had no creed; but He understood the spiritual laws, and tried to 
make others understand them. If those who are so bitter against 
Spiritualism and who object to my being one would just stop 
and think how it would look when a very sick man, woman or 
child should enter the office, if I would ask them, What is your 
religion? If you do not believe and have the knowledge as I 
have, I cannot treat you ; how would it sound to the unseen loved 
ones? How would it sound to the afflicted one? If I were to 
write here the many foolish things I have heard, dear reader, 
you would be disgusted, too, and be glad when the day shall 
come when the people will live the Christ life of universal love. 

One dear old Baptist lady, who had tried all the doctors she 
had heard of, came to me as a last resort for treatment. She 
was one of the kind (and I know many) who goes to a psychic, 
under cover, and takes her minister with her, but would not 
openly speak of the truths she received. (She did have to tell 
me.) This lady said to me one day, " What! do Catholics come 
here ? " I answered, " Certainly they do. Do you not know, my 
dear woman, that the Catholics are more spiritual than any other 



Controls and Mediums. 109 

denomination ? " I have studied each religion, and while there are 
many things in Catholicism that I do not like, still I find them 
more spiritual than any other denomination. Do they not pray 
for their departed friends ? Do they not all pray together ? Are 
they not a unity? Are not their churches open day and night, 
so that the people can go in and worship God ? The poor people 
are received there as well as the rich. When are the Protestant 
churches open ? Only on Sundays, and possibly once a week for 
prayer meeting. The poor people are not received there as they 
should be. I know the churches have done and are doing good, 
but when I see so many beautiful churches and so many poor 
people, I wonder if each family could be helped to earn a small 
comfortable home, would not the air be filled with prayers and 
thankfulness? I have heard many people say if they could have 
better clothes to wear, they would go to church, but they could 
not afford to go. Dear readers, I fear it is too often the attitude 
of the wealthy toward the poor that keeps them away. May the 
time be hastened when this barrier shall give way to the spirit 
of meekness and brotherly love ! 

Sydney, Australia, Jan. 6, 1902. 
Dr. Nellie Beighle, San Francisco, Cal. 

My Dear Friend and Co- worker: — Your favor of Nov. 
22d duly received at Battle Creek and forwarded on to me in 
Australia, where I am now lecturing. I just closed a two months' 
engagement at Melbourne, Australia, and am now in Sydney, 
speaking in the Unitarian church in the morning, and for the 
Psychic Society of Spiritualists in the evening Sundays. 

This is my fourth journey around the world. I have left my 
business in the hands of my assistant physicians, three of them, 
some of which are Psychics and Mental-metaphysicians ; but I 
have a supervision of my work, while absent in the body. 

I was glad that you were so pleased with my article in 
" Mind." I have received very many commendations for it, one 
from Judge Daily of Brooklyn, N. Y., and others, who are trust- 
worthy critics in their decision. I remember well of meeting 
you in San Francisco, and I know very much of your noble work 
in healing the sick and in encouraging the despairing and bless- 



no Book of Knowledge. 

ing those who are afflicted, whether physically, mentally or mor- 
ally. Surely you are one of the Saviours of the age. You know 
that an old prophet said that a Saviour shall come up on Mt. 
Zion; and so all over the world are masculine and feminine sa- 
viours, teachers, and grandly-inspired souls. I go from here to 
Tasmania to lecture, then to New Zealand, Ceylon and Egypt, 
and if possible, to Palestine again ; then to Rome, London, home- 
ward. 

I am now 80 years of age, and right in the morning, spirit- 
ually. I could never do so much mental and spiritual work as 
at present, and largely because of the help I received from the 
unseen realm. 

Please give my regards to Mr. Newman, Mrs. Foye and others. 
Very sincerely yours, 

J. M. Peebles. 

Address care of W. H. Terry, Astral Building, Collins St., 
Melbourne, Australia. 

The above letter I received from that grand man, J. M. 
Peebles, M.D. All my beloved readers will do well to read his 
interesting books. I will here name a few of them : " Travels 
Round the World," " Seers of the Ages," " Immortality and our 
Future Home," " Christ the Corner Stone of Spiritualism," 
" Critic Reviews of Rev. Kips Against Spiritualism," and many 
others which are of great interest, and will open many avenues 
to the higher life, and teaching the people how to live here as 
well. His pamphlet went on " Who are these Spiritualists ? " and 
" What is Spiritualism ? " I am going to give to my dear readers. 
I have asked permission of Dr. Peebles to do so, and also spoken 
to his intimate friend, Mr. Thomas Newman, who is editor of the 
Philosophical Journal, published in San Francisco, as I would 
have to quote a good deal or none at all. 

When I hear so many people comment on Spiritualism, of 
course I realize one thing, that a great many do not care to inves- 
tigate it, as they would have to live a purer life by so doing. 
That is why I am so glad that I can use this pamphlet to let them 
know that they will have to live a good many years of their lives 
to equal the people who are the Spiritualists. 



CHAPTER IV. 
WHO ARE THESE SPIRITUALISTS? 

Thinking — meditating, Columbus concluded that if there was 
a " this side," there must necessarily be a " that side " to the 
world. And so sailing on, and still onward towards the Western 
sunset under the inspiration of a lofty faith, he discovered the 
new world, and faith became fruition. 

And so the Spiritualists of this century meditating, investi- 
gating, discovered, or rather rediscovered, the spirit-world — 
the Spiritualism of the elder ages. Intuition, the soul-sense and 
the ideal are ever prophesying of the incoming real. The to- 
days afire with life and love assure us of coming to-morrows. 
This world indicates another, a future world, which Spiritualists 
have not only rediscovered, but have fully described. 

Spiritualism does not create truth but is a living witness to 
the truth of a future existence. It reveals it, demonstrates it, 
describing its inhabitants, their occupations and characteristics. 

Hannibal crossed the Alps twenty centuries before Napoleon 
did. Napoleon reasoned that what man had done, man could do, 
and so with flags and banners unfurled he led the conquering 
French over the snow-capped Alps. And through all the centu- 
ries before and since Hannibal's time, through all the historic ages 
there were rifts in the clouds, there were visions and voices from 
the better land of immortality. Inspired mystics and philosophers 
testified alike to the reality of apparitions, the appearance of good 
demons, and the fulfilment of dreams. An angel appeared to 
Joseph in a dream announcing the coming of Jesus. 

Patriarchs, prophets and seers in Abraham's and Isaiah's time 
conversed with spirits and angels according to the Scriptures. 
Apostles, disciples and the early Christians before and after John 
and Paul's time, consciously communed with the spirits of those 
they had known on earth — and why should not we? Neither 



ii2 Book of Knowledge. 

God nor His laws have changed. The reputed wise man Solomon 
said: The things that had been, is that which shall be, and that 
which is done is that which shall be done — and whatsoever God 
doeth, it shall be forever. Eccl. Ill, 14. 

If there were visions, trances, apparitions, spiritual gifts and 
conscious spirit communications all through the past ages, why 
not now? Have the heavens over us become brass, and have 
angel tongues become palsied? These things did happen in the 
past and they occur to-day. And few, if any, except the illiterate, 
except the atheist, the impudent bigot and the iron-clad, creed- 
bound churchman deny it. Spiritualism is most unpopular among 
the ignorant. It is also unpopular in sectarian club rooms, idiotic 
infirmaries and State penetentiaries. 

When that highly inspired man of Nazareth preached his radi- 
cal doctrines in Palestine, and performed his astonishing medium- 
istic works, crowds following him, some of the doubting, cautious 
conservatives of those times asked this question — " Have any of 
the rulers of the Pharisees believed on him? '' If so, we, the 
driftwood — we the putty-headed policy men — will fall in line. 
Human nature is the same in all ages, and moral cowards are 
ever the same oily-tongued cowards. 

WHAT IS SPIRITUALISM? - 

Spiritualism must be differentiated from spiritism. The ter- 
minologies of the two words absolutely necessitate, as every 
scholar knows, entirely different meanings. Chinese, Indians 
and Utah Mormons are spiritists, believing in spirit communica- 
tions. Most of the African tribes of the Dark Continent wor- 
ship demons and believe in spirit converse, but certainly they 
are not intelligent and religious spiritualists. 

Spiritism is a science — a fact — a sort of modernized Baby- 
lonian necromancy. The baser portion of its devotees, hypno- 
tized by the unembodied denizens of Hades, divine for dollars. 
It is promiscuous spirit commerce with a high tariff. It is from 
the lower spheres, and morally gravitates towards the dark. 
It has its legerdemain, its tricksters, frauds and travelling 
tramps. They should be exposed and shunned as you would 



Who Are These Spiritualists f 113 

shun dens of adders. Spiritism, I repeat, is a fact ; so is geology, 
so is mesmerism, so is telepathy, and so, also, is a rattlesnake's 
bite. Facts may be morally true or false. They may serve for 
purposes of good or direct ill. As an exhibition of wonders — 
as pabulum for scoffing atheists who demand visible sight of 
the invisible, infinite One, and insist upon a terrific clap of 
thunder to convince them of the existence of electricity, com- 
mercial spiritism, with its attending shadowy hosts manifesting 
in ill-ventilated rooms, may be a temporal necessity, but it 
legitimately belongs, with such kindred subjects as mesmerism, 
to the category of the sciences. 

But Spiritualism, originating in God who is Spirit, and 
grounded in man's moral nature, is a substantial fact, and in- 
finitely more — a fact plus reason and conscience; a fact relat- 
ing to moral and religious culture — a sublime spiritual truth 
ultimating in consecration to the good, the beautiful and the 
heavenly. 

Spiritualism proffers the key that unlocks the mysteries of 
the ages. It constituted the foundation stone of all the ancient 
faiths. It was the soul of all past religions. It was the mighty 
uplifting force that gave to the world in all ages its inspired 
teachers and immortal leaders. 

Rightly translated, the direct words of Jesus are, " God is 
Spirit." The spiritual is the real and the substantial. The spirit- 
ually minded are reverential. They are religious. Their life 
is a prayer. " The fruit of the Spirit," said the apostle to the 
Gentiles, " is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, good- 
ness, faith, meekness, temperance." Spiritualism, by whatever 
name known, without the fruit of the Spirit, without religion and 
moral growth, is but the veriest rot and rubbish; and religion, 
by whatever name known, in any age, without spiritualism and 
its accompanying spiritual gifts, is only an empty shell — an 
offensive creedal cadaver that should be buried without ecclesi- 
astical formalities. 

God is Spirit. And Spiritualism, while inhering in and orig- 
inating from God, does not centre alone in, and rest entirely 
upon phenomena, but upon spirit — upon the spiritual and moral 
constitution of man, which constitution requires such spiritual 



114 Book of Knowledge. 

sustenance as inspiration, prayer, vision, trance, clairvoyance 
and heavenly impression from the divine sphere of love and 
wisdom. Spiritualists, like the primitive Christians, believe in 
God the Father and in the brotherhood of the races. They 
acknowledge Christ; they cultivate the religious emotions; they 
open their seances, many of them, with prayer. They are 
richly blessed with visions and calm, uplifting ministrations from 
angelic homes. They see in every pure crystal stream a Jor- 
dan, in every verdure-clad mountain a present Olivet, and in 
every well-cultivated prairie a Canaan flowing with the milk 
and honey of spiritual truth — love to God and love to man. 

Spiritualism teaches salvation by character; or by the life, 
as did Paul in his higher inspired moments, who said, Being 
reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Romans V, 10. 

God is Spirit. And neither matter nor sea-slime nor proto- 
plasm constitutes the basis of life, but spirit; that is to say, spirit- 
ual or divine substance. Spirituality is the substantial reality. 
And man is a spirit now, a spirit living in a material body, which 
body bears something of the same relation to the real, con- 
scious, invisible man that the husk bears to the corn. Evi- 
dently man is a trinity in unity, constituted of a physical body, 
a soul, or soul body, and a conscious, undying spirit — one un- 
compounded, indestructive, divine substance — the divine Ego. 
Advanced spirits are denominated angels. Spirits are but men 
and women divested of their mortal bodies. They have taken 
with them consciousness, memory, reason, sympathy, char- 
acter. They walk by our sides often, and yet unseen. Philo- 
sophically considered, there is but one world, and that one world 
embraces the yesterdays, and to-days, and the innumerable to- 
morrows of eternity. 

Spiritualism, with its signs, wonders, visions and healing 
gifts, was the religion of the apostles ; of the post apostolic 
fathers, and of the primitive Christians up to the reign of Con- 
stantine, the murderous Roman emperor. 

Spiritualism has not only positively demonstrated a future 
life, but it has explained the philosophy and psychic methods of 
spirit intercourse ; it has greatly liberalized the religious mind ; 
it has encouraged the philanthropic reforms of the age, and it 



Who Are These Spiritualists f 115 

has given us a revised geography of the heavens and the hells. 
Mortals enter the future world with as absolute substantial 
bodies as we have here, only more refined and etherealized. 
There are different degrees of happiness there. Memory is the 
undying worm. There is intense mental suffering in those 
Cimmerian spheres. And yet, God builds no hells. He burns 
no man's fingers here, damns no souls there. Men are the 
architects of their own hells ; they reap what they sow. Every 
child born into this world is a possible archangel or a possible 
demon ; his head touches the world of light, his feet the world 
of darkness. Man is a rational moral being, having the power 
of choice. Punishment follows sin ; there is no escape. Divine 
punishment is disciplinary in all worlds. Christ Jesus still 
preaches to undeveloped imprisoned spirits. The angels call, 
and souls are constantly coming up through tribulation deep. 
The door of mercy is not shut ; there is ever the opportunity of 
progress from darkness to light. God is love. 

Modern Spiritualism — of which Swedenborg was the John 
the Baptist and that Christian people, the Shakers, the first 
organized body of men and women in America to fully realize 
the true meaning of the phenomena — has disclosed some of the 
unspeakable beauties awaiting us in the many mansioned house 
of the Father. These mansions — aural spheres, enzoning stars 
and planets — are real, substantial, and adaptively fitted for the 
abodes of spirits, angels and archangels. These, aflame with 
love, are ever active in some educational or redemptive work. 
Heaven's rest is not idleness ; the soul's activities are intensified 
by the transition. The future life is a social life, a progressive 
life, a heavenly life of growth, of love and of truth. 



WHO ARE THESE SPIRITUALISTS? 

In the above statement or definition of Spiritualism, I speak 
for myself only, not others. Spiritualists have no Pope, no cast- 
iron creed, and they desire to build up no new sect. 

When Jesus of Nazareth preached his radical doctrines of 
the Fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, and the pres- 



n6 Book of Knowledge. 

ent ministry of angels and spirits, the cautious, conservative 
scribes and the synagogue Jews inquired, " Have any of the 
rulers of the Pharisees believed on him? " That is to say, have 
any of the Rabbis, any of the reputed great and wise believed 
on him? If so, we, the driftwood, will fall in line. Human 
nature is the same in all ages, and moral cowards are ever cring- 
ing cowards. Thougli Spiritualists number millions upon mil- 
lions in all enlightened countries — and though there are more 
or less Spiritualists in every church in the land (unless it be 
that little seven by nine issue, the Seventh-day Second Advent- 
ists) there are those who ask, half sneeringly, " Who are these 
Spiritualists ? " My brief reply is : they constitute the brains 
of the world. I repeat, the brainiest people of the world to-day 
are straight out-and-out Spiritualists, or favorably inclined to 
Spiritualism. They are the cultured. They are the inspired. 
They stand upon the Mount. They walk in the sunlight of 
eternal truth. Take among the giant-minded thousands the fol- 
lowing : 

Alfred R. Wallace, F.G.S., author, scientist and naturalist, 
who for his great scientific achievements the Queen has pen- 
sioned, pointedly said : " My position, therefore, is that the 
phenomena of Spiritualism in their entirety do not require 
further confirmation. They are proved quite as well as any 
facts are proved in other sciences. 

"Up to the time when I first became acquainted with the facts 
of Spiritualism I was a confirmed philosophical skeptic, rejoic- 
ing in the works of Voltaire, Strauss and Carl Vogt ; an ardent 
admirer — as I am still — of Herbert Spencer. I was so thor- 
ough and confirmed a Materialist that I could not at that time 
find a place in my mind for the conception of spiritual existence 
or for any other agency in the universe than matter and force. 
Facts, however, are stubborn things. The facts beat me. They 
compelled me to accept them as facts long before I could accept 
the spiritual explanation of them. Those who believe as I do — 
that spiritual beings can and do (subject to general law and 
for certain purposes) communicate with us — must see in the 
steady advance of inquiry the assurance that as far as their 
beliefs are logical deductions from the phenomena they have 



Who Are These Spiritualists? 117 

witnessed, those beliefs will at no distant date be accepted by 
all truth-seeking inquirers." 

William Crookes, F.R.S., editor of the London Quarterly 
Journal of Science, and Fellow of the Royal Society, says: 
" That certain physical phenomena, such as the movement of 
material substances and the production of sounds resembling 
electric discharges, occur under circumstances in which they 
cannot be explained by any physical law at present known, is a 
fact of which I am as certain as I am of the most elementary 
facts in chemistry." 

In his book, "Researches in the Phenomena of Spiritualism," 
he states his convictions of the fact of an intercommunion be- 
tween the dwellers of the visible and the invisible worlds. 

If it had not been for Prof. William Crookes, the discoveries 
of Professor Roentgen would not have been made. This man 
who paved the way for the recent developments in photographic 
science has been widely known for years, and there are few 
men who have achieved more brilliant results in the laboratory 
than the discoverer of the " tube " which is just now figuring 
so prominently in all the experimental work with the new light 
which makes the photography of concealed things possible. 

Professor Crookes was born in London sixty-four years 
ago, and in his boyhood became interested in photography. He 
took a course in the Royal College of Chemistry under Dr. 
Hoffman, and soon became assistant to the tutor. At twenty- 
two he was appointed superintendent of the Radcliffe Observa- 
tory at Oxford. In 1859 he founded the Chemical News, and in 
1864 became the editor of the Quarterly Journal of Science, and 
contributed many valuable papers to the publication. 

Professor Crookes was indefatigable in original research. He 
discovered the force and invented the radiometer. In recog- 
nition of his discovery of the new metal, thallium, he was made 
a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1877 he invented the otheo- 
scope, and in the same year, in a paper read before the Royal 
Society, he said that he had succeeded in obtaining a vacuum so 
nearly perfect that the pressure in it was only .0000004 of an at- 
mosphere. It was this discovery that made possible the in- 
candescent electric light. He has written many scientific books, 



n8 Book of Knowledge. 

each of which is considered of great value. His name was 
brought before the public generally in 1870, when he under- 
took an investigation of the physical phenomena of Spiritualism. 
His book on the results of those experiments was widely read 
at the time of its publication, but while the scientific world 
placed the highest value on his experiments in other lines it 
paid no attention to his investigations on the occult side of 
nature. They were too bigoted. Too many of these professed 
scientists do little besides strut around with cigar stubs in their 
mouths, pork in their paunches, and old, warty barnacles upon 
their backs. Professor Crookes is certainly the most patient 
experimenter of modern times, and his name can never be dis- 
associated with Spiritualism and the Roentgen ray because his 
discovery was its basis. 

C. F. Varley, the distinguished English electrician, chief 
engineer to the Electric and Internation Telegraph Company, 
assistant in the construction of the Atlantic telegraphy in con- 
nection with Sir Michael Farady and Sir William Thompson, 
the first to demonstrate the principles governing the transmis- 
sion of electricity through long, deep-sea cables. Writing in 
1880, he said : 

" Twenty-five years ago I was a hard-headed unbeliever. 
Spirit phenomena, however, suddenly and quite unexpectedly, 
were soon after developed in my own family. This led me to 
inquire and to try numerous experiments in such a way as to 
preclude, as much as circumstances would permit, the possibility 
of trickery and self-deception. 

" That the phenomena occur there is overwhelming evi- 
dence, and it is too late now to deny their existence. Having 
experimented with and compared the forces with electricity and 
magnetism, and after having applied mechanical and mental 
tests, I entertain no doubt whatever that the manifestations 
which I have myself examined were not due to the operation ot 
any of the recognized physical laws of nature, and that there 
has been present on the occasions above mentioned some intel- 
ligence other than that of the medium and observers." 

M. Leon Favre, Consul General of France, and brother of 
Jules Favre, the eminent French Senator, says: 



Who Are These Spiritualists? 119 

" I have long, carefully and conscientiously studied Spiritual 
phenomena. Not only am I convinced of their irrefragable 
reality, but I have also a profound assurance that they are pro- 
duced by the spirits of those who have left earth ; and further 
that they only could produce them. I believe in the existence of 
an invisible world corresponding to the world around us. I 
believe that the denizens of that world were formerly resident 
on this earth, and I believe in the possibility of intercommunion 
between the two worlds." 

On my way to Constantinople a few years since to fill a 
Consular position under General Grant, I was his guest for a 
week in Paris, witnessing the manifestations in his own parlors. 
I shall never forget the kindness of the Consul's son who accom- 
panied me as a guide to Versailles and other cities in France, 
sight-seeing. 

J. Herman Fichte, the distinguished philosopher and meta- 
physician, writing of Baron Guldenstubbe, of Stuttgart, said: 
" As to my present position in regard to Spiritualism, I have 
to say that I have come to the conclusion that it is absolutely 
impossible to account for these phenomena save by assuming 
the action of superhuman influences or unseen spirit intelli- 
gences." 

Professor de Morgan, at one time London's greatest mathe- 
matician, says : " I have both seen and heard, in a manner which 
would have made unbelief impossible, things called spiritual 
which cannot be taken by a rational being to be capable of ex- 
planation by imposture, coincident or mistake. The physical 
explanations which I have seen are miserably insufficient." 

Professor Challis,thelate Plumerian Professor of Astronomy 
at Cambridge, stated his opinion in a letter to the Clerical 
Journal of June, 1862, as follows : 

" I have been unable to resist the large amount of testimony 
to such facts which has come from many independent sources 
and from a vast number of witnesses. In short, the testimony 
has been so abundant and consentaneous that either the facts 
must be admitted to be such as reported or the possibility of 
certifying facts by human testimony must be given up." 

Dr. Robert Chambers, of Edinburgh, said : " The names we 



120 Book of Knowledge. 

are able to quote of men who have publicly acknowledged their 
conviction of the reality of the phenomena of modern Spiritual- 
ism form only a small portion of those who are really convinced, 
every Spiritualist knows." In a letter of Dr. Chambers ad- 
dressed to Alfred R. Wallace, February, 1867, he says : " I have 
for many years known that these phenomena are real, as dis- 
tinguished from impostures, and it is not of yesterday that I 
concluded they were calculated to explain much that has been 
doubted in the past; and, when fully accepted, they will revo- 
lutionize the whole frame of human opinion on many important 
matters." 

M. Thiers, ex-President of the French Republic, exclaimed : 
"I am a Spiritualist, and an impassioned one, and I am anxious 
to confound Materialism in the name of science and good 
sense." 

Camille Flammarion, well known in scientific circles as an 
astronomer and member of the Academie Francaise, thus testi- 
fies to the truth of Spiritualism: 

" I do not hesitate to affirm my conviction, based on per- 
sonal examination of the subject, that any scientific man who 
declares the phenomena denominated " magnetic," " sonam- 
bulic," " mediumic," and others not yet explained by science to 
be " impossible " is one who speaks without knowing what he 
is talking about; and also any man accustomed by his profes- 
sional avocations to scientific observation — provided that his 
mind be not biased by pre-conceived opinions — may acquire a 
radical and absolute certainty of the reality of the facts alluded 
to." 

Dr. Lockhart Robertson, long one of the editors of the 
Journal of Mental Science, a physician who, having made mental 
disease his special study, would not be easily taken in by any 
psychological delusions. His testimony to the reality of the 
spiritual phenomena is most distinct and positive. 

Serjeant Cox, an Assistant Judge of the Middlesex Sessions, 
President of the Psychological Society of Great Britain, getting 
satisfactory proofs of independent writing through a dis- 
tinguished medium, wrote of it thus, August 8, 1876: 

" I can only say that I am in full possession of my senses ; 



Who Are These Spiritualists? 121 

that I am wide awake; that I was in broad daylight; that the 
medium was under my observation the whole time, and could 
not have moved hand or foot without being detected by me. 
That these spiritual phenomena occur it is vain to dispute." 

Swedenborg conversed with the spirits of the so-called dead 
for twenty-seven years, and some of his tests were perfectly 
astonishing, such as the following: In 1758 a revolution was 
attempted in Sweden. On the 23d of July in that year Swe- 
denborg was in Stockholm. On that day Count Brahe and 
Baron Horn were executed in the capital. Swedenborg did not 
lose sight of Brahe when he was beyond the axe, as the follow- 
ing passage in Scriptural Diary shows : 

" Brahe was beheaded at ten o'clock in the morning and he 
spoke with me at ten at night ; that is to say, twelve hours after 
the execution. He was with me almost without interruption for 
several days. In two days' time he began to return to his 
former life, which consisted in loving worldly things ; and after 
three days he became as he was before in the world, and was 
carried into the evils he had made his own before he died." 

Professor Sherer relates this : Conversing with a companion 
one evening in Stockholm about the spiritual work, one of those 
present, as a test, said, " Tell us who will die first." Swedenborg 
at first refused to answer. Then, after seeming to be for a 
time in silent and profound meditation, he replied : " Olof Olof- 
sohn will die to-morrow morning at forty-five minutes past four 
o'clock." This prediction greatly excited the company, and one 
gentleman, a friend of Olof Olofsohn, resolved to go on the 
following morning at the time mentioned by Swedenborg, to 
the house of Olofsohn, in order to see whether Swedenborg's 
prediction was fulfilled. On the way thither he met the well- 
known servant of Olofsohn, who told him that his master had 
just died — a fit of apoplexy had seized him and had suddenly 
put an end to his life. The clock in Olofsohn's dwelling apart- 
ment stopped at the very moment in which he had expired, and 
the hand pointed at the time. 

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was a firm be- 
liever in spiritual phenomena. Prof. A. B. Hyde, D.D., author 
and professor of Greek in the Denver University, says in his 



122 Book of Knowledge. 

work on Methodism : " During these years strange noises were 
heard at the Epworth parsonage. They were first heard in the 
whistling of the wind outside. Latches were lifted; windows 
rattled and all metallic substances rang tunefully. In a room 
where persons talked, sang or made any noise, its hollow tones 
gave all the louder accompaniment. There was a sound of 
doors slamming, of curtains drawing, of shoes dancing without 
a wearer. When any one wished to pass a door its latch was 
politely lifted for them before they touched it. A trencher, un- 
touched upon the table, danced to unheard music. At family 
prayers the ' goblin ' gave thundering knocks at the Amen, 
and when Mr. Wesley prayed for the king the disloyal being 
pushed him violently in anger. The stout rector shamed it for 
annoying children and dared it to meet him alone in his study 
and pick up the gauntlet there. Many then and since have 
tried to explain the cause. It was thought to be a spirit strayed 
beyond its home and clime, as an Arabian locust has been found 
in Hyde Park. Of such things this writer has no theory. There 
are more things in heaven and earth than his knowledge can 
compass. Only he is sure that outside of this world lies a 
spiritual domain, and it is not strange that there should be inter- 
communication." 

Robert Southey, in his life of Wesley, when speaking of 
these spiritual manifestations, states that they continued in the 
Wesley family for over thirty years, commencing in 1716. Dr. 
Priestly, the discoverer of oxygen, speaks of the Wesleyan 
phenomena as among the most remarkable in history. There 
is a record of them in the " Bibliotheca Topographica Britan- 
nica," by Samuel Babcock. Here is the closing paragraph: 

" I know not what became of the ghost of Epworth, unless 
considered the prelude to the noise Mr. John Wesley made on a 
more ample stage, it ceased to speak when he began to act." 

Wesley himself, in referring to his experience and convic- 
tion of the truth of spirit manifestations, said : " What pretence 
have I to deny well-attested facts because I cannot comprehend 
them? It is true that most of the men of learning in Europe 
have given up all accounts of apparitions as mere old wives' 
fables. I am sorry for it, and I willingly take this opportunity 



Who Are These Spiritualists? 123 

of entering my solemn protest against this violent compliment 
which so many that believe in the Bible pay to those who do not 
believe it. I owe them no such service. They well know 
(whether Christians know it or not) that the giving up of these 
apparitions is in effect giving up the Bible ; and they know, on 
the other hand, that if but one account of the intercourse of 
men with spirits is admitted, their whole castle in the air (Deism, 
Atheism and Materialism) falls to the ground. 

" One of the capital objections to all these accounts which 
I have known urged over and over is : * Did you ever see an 
apparition yourself?' No, nor did I ever see a murder, yet I 
believe there is such a thing. Yet the testimony of exceptional 
witnesses fully convinces me of both the one and the other. 
With my last breath will I bear testimony against giving up to 
infidels one of the greatest proofs of the invisible world — I mean 
that of apparitions confirmed by the testimony of all ages." 

Dr. H. W. Thomas, probably the ablest preacher in Chicago, 
said in a sermon : " The perfect vision should see in Spiritualism 
the essential truth of the continuity of life and possibility of 
communion between the two worlds. The phenomena mani- 
festations or forms of slate writing, seances, and materializa- 
tions are but incidents — but the accidents attending any form 
of faith should not be permitted to close the vision to the under- 
lying realities. The fact of a conscious intercommunion be- 
tween the two worlds has become an established truth." 

Dr. Robert Hare, scientist, chemist and Spiritualist, invented 
the oxy-hydrogen blowpipe, producing a flame so intense that 
it would consume a diamond and vaporize the most solid sub- 
stance. The doctor was a professor in the Pennsylvania Uni- 
versity, and he stood so high among European philosophers 
that Philadelphia was chiefly known to them as the residence 
of the learned Professor Hare. When Spiritualism came to his 
notice, being a rank skeptic, if not a downright atheist, he set 
about constructing instruments to detect and expose the frauds 
of mediumship — when lo, the spirits made use of his own in- 
strument to convince him of the fact of spirit existence and of 
their power to communicate with mortals. Becoming a Spirit- 
ualist he became a believer in God and immortality. When Dr. 



124 Book of Knowledge. 

Hare attended the American Association of Science in 1856, 
asking for an hour to present the scientific methods and results 
of his investigations in relation to Spiritualism before the body 
convened, the majority decided against him. Among the 
minority were such savants as Professor Mitchell, Agassiz and 
others. This great chemist, scientist, philosopher and elec- 
trician, the peer of Farady — the crowning glory of the old Penn- 
sylvania University — lived and died a devoted Spiritualist. His 
life, his scientific researches and philosophical attainments, con- 
stituting an imperishable monument, honors science as well as 
graces and adds lustre to the early history of Spiritualism in 
America. 

Victor Hugo, that eminent literary celebrity, with intellect 
so clear and radiant, and moral nature so highly developed, 
could not well avoid being a Spiritualist. Upon my second 
voyage around the world I met him in Paris in a seance of the 
literati, Mrs. Hollis-Billings being the medium. Hugo wept 
in gratitude when his risen son gave him a most satisfactory 
communication in written French, when she, an American, could 
neither speak nor write a line of French. 

In his "Toilers of the Sea," he writes : "There are times when 
the unknown reveals itself to the spirit of man in visions. Such 
visions have occasionally the power to effect a transfiguration, 
converting a poor camel-driver into a Mahomet ; a peasant girl 
tending her goats into a Joan of Arc. Those that depart still 
remain near us — they are in a world of light; but they as tender 
witnesses hover about our world of darkness. Though invisible 
to some they are not absent. Holy is their converse with us." 

Theodore Parker wrote : "This party (Spiritualists) has an 
idea wider and deeper than Catholic or Protestant ; namely, that 
God still inspires men as much as ever. Now, in 1856, it seems 
more likely that Spiritualism will become the religion of Amer- 
ica than in 156 that Christianity would become the religion of 
the Roman Empire. It has more evidence for its wonders than 
any historic form of religion hitherto. It is thoroughly demo- 
cratic, with no hierarchy; but inspiration is open to all. It 
admits all the truths of religion and morality in all the world's 
sects. Shall we know our friends again? For my own part, I 






Who Are These Spiritualists f 125 

cannot doubt it ; least of all when I drop a tear over their recent 
dust. Death does not separate them from us here. Can life in 
heaven do it ? " 

Judge J. W. Edmonds, the pride of the New York Bench for 
years, a jurist of unimpeachable integrity and keen discern- 
ment, as well as an authority in International Law, was not only 
a Spiritualist but a medium with fine clairvoyant gifts. Sitting 
in his seances by the hour I have listened to his visions, as 
exalted as those of Peter or Paul, or the ecstatics of the pre- 
Constantine period. 

William Lloyd Garrison, the author, speaker and pioneer 
" liberator," writing of Spiritualism said : " The manifestations 
have spread from house to house, from city to city, from one 
part of the country to another, across the Atlantic into Europe, 
till now the enlightened world is compelled to acknowledge their 
reality. We have witnessed these surprising manifestations ; 
and our conviction is that they cannot be accounted for on any 
other theory than that of spiritual agency." 

William Howitt, the noted English writer and author of 
seventy volumes, was a writing and drawing medium. It gave 
me great pleasure to sit in one of his seances and witness his 
automatic drawings. In the English Dunfermeline Press, Mr. 
Howitt wrote thus : " Who are the men who have in every 
country embraced Spiritualism? The rabble? the ignorant? 
the fanatic? By no means. But the most intelligent and 
learned of all classes." In America the shrewd and honest 
statesman and President was a Spiritualist. So were the Hon. 
Robert Dale Owen and Judge Edmonds. Longfellow, now in 
England, and just treated with the highest honor by the Uni- 
versity of Cambridge, and about to be feted by the whole liter- 
ary world of England, is and has long been a Spiritualist." 

When Longfellow was upon his late European tour he at- 
tended Spiritual seances at the house of the Guppy's in Naples, 
and at the palatial residence of the Baron Kirkup in Florence. 
I had this upon the authority of several eminent gentlemen in 
Italy. 

Abraham Lincoln, the martyred President, was a Spiritualist. 
He frequently attended seances at the residence of the Lauries 



126 . Book of Knowledge. 

in Washington. The daughter was a medium. Lincoln's eman- 
cipation message was an inspiration from the spirit-world. 
Judge Edmonds, delivering an oration in Hope Chapel, N. Y., 
upon the life of Lincoln, gave the proof of this. It is undeni- 
able. 

In Judge Pierpont's address to the jury at the Surratt trial, 
he said : " I now come to a strange act in this dark drama — 
strange though not new — so wonderful that it seems to come 
from beyond the veil that separates us from death. On the 
morning of April 14th, Mr. Lincoln called his cabinet together. 
He had reason to be joyful, but he was anxious to hear from 
Sherman. Grant was here, and he said Sherman was all right; 
but President Lincoln said he feared, and related a dream — a 
dream which he had previous to Chancellorsville and Stone 
River, and whenever a disaster happened. The members of 
the cabinet who heard that dream will never forget it. A few 
hours afterwards Sherman was not heard from — but the dream 
was fulfilled. A disaster had befallen the Government, and Mr. 
Lincoln's spirit, by Booth's assassin hand, had returned to God 
who gave it." 

Dr. Adam Clarke, the distinguished Methodist commentator, 
was a Spiritualist. In commenting upon Saul and Samuel (see 
his commentaries, pp. 298-299), he says : 

" I believe Samuel did actually appeal to Saul ; and that he 
was sent to warn this infatuated king of his approaching death, 
that he might have an opportunity to make his peace with his 
Maker. 

" I believe there is a supernatural and spiritual world, in 
which human spirits, both good and bad, live in a state of con* 
sciousness. 

" I believe that any of these spirits may, according to the 
order of God, in the laws of their place of residence, have inter- 
course with this world and become visible to mortals." 

Bishop John P. Newman, General Grant's pastor in Wash- 
ington, D. C, is a Spiritualist. From a printed sermon of his, 
delivered at the funeral of an aged lady at No. 561 Madison 
Avenue, New York, I made the following extracts : 

" This venerable woman has gone, not to sing songs nor to 



Who Are These Spiritualists? 127 

be idle, nor indifferent as to the scenes of earth and time. These 
sons and grandchildren over whom she watched with the tender- 
est love here, she will continue to love and guide hereafter. The 
belief is all but universal that the spirits of the departed have 
returned to earth. The best of the Greeks and Romans were 
strong in this opinion, and those eminent in the church for 
learning and piety have cherished this common faith. 

" Two worlds met in Bible times. The communications were 
as real then between earth and heaven as between New York 
and London to-day. From Adam till John of Patmos there 
were frequent intercourse between those who had gone and 
those who were left behind. 

" Angels dined with Abraham, were companions of Daniel in 
the lion's den; they conversed with Mary; they delivered Peter 
from prison; they visited Cornelius, the Roman centurion. 
Celestial visions were given to Isaiah and the prophets, to Paul 
and the apostles, to Stephen and the martyrs, while Samuel 
and Moses and Elias were returned to earth. And why should 
we suppose that there is less interest in heaven for earth than in 
the glorious past? We have the inspired record of the return 
of five persons to our earth, three of whom entered the spirit 
world through the portals of the grave. 

" And there was another who was born here and went to that 
spirit-land and returned to us and remained with us from June 
44, A. D., till June, 64, A. D., a period of twenty years ; and six 
years after he made this declaration public. He said, ' I was 
caught up into the third heaven.' This is levitation as taught 
in I. Kings, xviii : 12; Ezekial iii. : 14; in Acts viii. ; 39-40. He 
went not only to the place of departed spirits, but to heaven, 
where he heard unspeakable words. Do you say if only one of 
our race and time would go and return and witness to us it 
would be sufficient? Most lawyers are satisfied with one good 
witness. The law is that two witnesses are sufficient to confirm 
a fact; but here are eight — Samuel, Moses, Elias, Christ and 
four apostles. These eight witnesses are as good as eight 
hundred. 

" But do the communications between the two worlds con- 
tinue to this day? Let us not be deterred in answering this 



128 Book of Knowledge. 

question, because a great Bible fact has been perverted for 
lust and lucre. Let us rise to the sublimity and purity of the 
great Bible truth, and on this day of sorrow console our hearts 
therewith. It was the opinion of Wesley that Swedenborg was 
visited by the spirits of his departed friends. Dr. Adam Clarke 
believed that the departed spirits returned to earth." 

Dr. Chiaia of Naples brought in 1892 the illiterate peasant 
woman, Paladina, gifted with mediumship, to Milan to meet a 
scientific commission for the investigation of spirit phenomena. 
Several of the scientists were out-and-out Materialists, and 
bitterly prejudiced against Spiritualism. The commission held 
seventeen sittings. Among the phenomena were the following: 
" The weight of the medium under varying magnetic conditions 
was found to range from a minimum of one hundred pounds to 
a maximum of one hundred and fifty-four pounds. Different 
articles put upon the table were agitated and lifted up into the 
air by invisible hands, and at the request of the committee one 
of the spirits present struck the head of each person in the 
seance room." The report declared that all idea of the phe- 
nomena being produced by the medium must be dismissed as 
an impossibility. This document was signed by Alexander Ak- 
sakof, Privy Councillor to the Emperor of Russia and editor of 
the Psychische Studien; Prof. G. Schiapparelli, Director of the 
Observatory at Milan; Carl du Phel, Doctor of Philosophy at 
Munich; A. Brofferio, Professor of Philosophy in the Mazoni 
College at Milan; G. Geresa, Professor of Physics in the Gov- 
ernment School of Science and Agriculture at Paris ; Cesare 
Lombreso, Professor of Legal Medicine at the University, Por- 
tici; Charles Richet, Professor of Medicine in the Sarbonne at 
Turin; F. D. Armicis, Director of Claims in the University of 
Naples; O. G. B. Ermacora and G. Finizi, both of them doctors 
of medicine and students in the psychic sciences. 

Here were ten men occupying the highest positions in 
Europe for scholarship, science and philosophy, testifying to 
the reality of the spirit manifestations, after the most careful 
and crucial investigations. They were trained scientists. 

Professor Lombreso, a pronounced Materialist, was manly 
enough to publish an apology for having ridiculed psychic 



Who Are These Spiritualists? 129 

phenomena as fraud or delusion, adding: " The reality of the 
phenomena is to me indisputable." 

Raoul Pictet, professor in the Genoa University, delivered 
a lecture, May, 1893, in the hall of the University in Liege in 
Belgium, giving in his adhesion to Spiritualism, saying: " I am 
constrained to do so by the invincible logic of facts." 

Dr. Miguel Sans Benito, professor of metaphysics in the 
University of Barcelona, is a devoted Spiritualist. He affirms 
and publishes that : " Spiritualism is the synthesis of the most 
important principles and discoveries of science ; and that we may 
advantageously study it, with the firm assurance that it will open 
out new horizons to our intelligence, besides supplying our 
hearts with a beautiful consolation in those bitter moments of 
our lives which are occasioned by a painful bereavement." 

M. T. Falconer, professor in the Technical Institute of the 
Minister of Public Instruction at Alessandria, in Piedmont, is 
an enthusiastic Spiritualist, declaring that the spiritual phenom- 
ena afford " the only positive proofs of a future conscious exist- 
ence." 

Herr Max Seiling, professor of polytechnics in the Uni- 
versity of Helsingfers, the oldest in Russia, doubted the con- 
tinuation of man's existence ; but through the mediumistic gifts 
of Madame d'Esperance, a lady of both culture and fortune, he 
was forced by the most conclusive evidences to confess the 
grand truth of a present converse with spirits once clothed in 
mortality. 

The learned Oc'harowicz, professor in the University of War- 
saw, was induced in the latter part of 1894 to study the psychic 
phenomena under the most rigorous test conditions of mediums. 
Having previously studied, he was considered an authority in 
magnetism and hypnotism, and now he was bound to get at the 
bottom of what was denominated " Spiritualism." After being 
fully convinced of its truth he said, " I found I had done a great 
wrong to men who had proclaimed new truths at the cost of 
their positions. 

" And now, when I remember that I branded as a fool that 
fearless investigator, Crookes, the inventor of the radiometer, 
because he had the courage to assert the reality of mediumistic 
9 



130 Book of Knowledge. 

phenomena, and to subject them to scientific tests ; and when 
I also recollect that I used to read his articles upon Spiritualism 
with the same stupid style as his colleagues in the British Asso- 
ciation bestowed upon them, regarding him as crazy, I am 
ashamed both of myself and others, and I cry from the very 
bottom of my heart, ' Father, I have sinned against the light/ " 

The erudite Marghieri, professor of the physical sciences in 
the University of Naples, and Dr. Giulio Belfiore, author of that 
profound work upon " Hypnotism and its Therapeutic Effects," 
are both outspoken and active Spiritualists. And so Prof. Ar- 
mand Sabatier, Dean of the Faculty of Sciences and Director 
of the Zoological Institute at Montpelier — one of the greatest 
minds in Europe — has been for some time studying psychic phe- 
nomena, and it is credibly reported that he has become con- 
vinced of the truth of Spiritualism. 

No intelligent, conscientious and right-minded person can 
investigate the psychic phenomena without becoming a Spirit- 
ualist. Accumulated evidences force conviction. Faith blos- 
soms into knowledge. Spiritualism reaffirms and reiterates the 
pure doctrines of primitive Christianity. It sweeps aside the 
monstrous absurdities that have been grafted upon it, such as 
the blood-atonement dogma, infant damnation and endless hell 
torments. These horrible doctrines have cursed the very name 
of Christianity and given agnostics and atheists their ammuni- 
tion for perpetual warfare. The Christian nations of the earth, 
so it seems to me, are so deeply immersed in barbarous ignor- 
ance, in bigoted intolerance, in religious superstition and in 
spiritual darkness, that nothing but the highest spiritual revela- 
tions which are being received all over the globe, from the dis- 
carnated dwellers in the Unseen, could have prevented the so- 
called civilized races of the earth from sinking into a condition 
of degradation and moral depravity resembling that which pre- 
ceded the destruction of the great Roman empire. Spiritualism 
in its higher and diviner aspects, and Spiritualism alone, will yet 
convict, conquer and redeem the world. 

Prof. Joseph Rodes Buchanan, M.D., the learned discoverer 
of psychometry and sarcognomy, writer upon metaphysics, 
author of " System of Anthropology," " The New Education," 



Who Are These Spiritualists 1 131 

" Manual of Psychometry," and a pronounced adept in true 
Theosophy, has been for years a most distinguished, outspoken 
Spiritualist. 

Hon. Luther Marsh, New York (once the law partner of 
Daniel Webster, the great constitutional expounder of law), 
jurist, law compiler, writer and author, is a pronounced Spirit- 
ualist. 

Rt. Hon. Wm. E. Gladstone, politician and far-seeing states- 
man, cautiously says : " I shall not adopt language of determined 
disbelief in all manifestations, real or supposed, from the other 
world. They give me little satisfaction, but that does not war- 
rant meeting them with a blank negative. I know of no rule 
which forbids a Christian to examine into the system called 
Spiritualism." 

John G. Whittier, the good Quaker poet, in his address at 
William Lloyd Garrison's funeral said : " Our beloved Garri- 
son's faith in the continuity of life was very positive. He 
trusted more to the phenomena of Spiritualism than I can, how- 
ever. My faith is not helped by them, and yet I wish I could 
see real truth in them. I do believe, apart from all outward 
signs, in the future life, and that the happiness of that life, as 
of this, will consist of labor and self-sacrifice." Again he writes 
Charles Fiske Bates : " I have heard Garrison talk much of his 
faith in Spiritualism. He had no doubt whatever, and he was 
very happy. Death was to him but the passing from one room 
to another and a higher one. I wonder whether if I could see 
a real spirit I should believe my own senses. I do sometimes 
feel very near the dear ones who have left me. Of one thing I 
feel sure: something outside of myself speaks to me, and holds 
me to duty, warns, reproves and approves. It is good, for it 
requires me to be good; it is wise, for it knows the thoughts 
and interests of the heart. It is to me a revelation of God, and 
of his character and attributes ; the one important fact before 
which all others seem insignificant." 

Longfellow, the Tennyson of America, attended spiritual 
seances when travelling upon the continent, and freely expressed 
his belief in an open communion between the visible and the un- 
seen world. And accordingly he wrote : " The spiritual world 



132 Book of Knowledge. 

lies all about us, and its avenues are open to the unseen feet 
of phantoms that come and go, and we perceive them not save 
by their influence, or when at times a most mysterious provi- 
dence permits them to manifest themselves to mortal eyes: 

" Then the forms of the departed 
Enter at the open door 
The beloved ones, the true-hearted 
Come to visit me once more." 

Hon. Benjamin F. Wade, of Ohio, ex-President of the Sen- 
ate, and ex-United States Senator; and ex-Senator Howard, of 
Michigan, were devoted Spiritualists. It was through the in- 
fluence of these two Senators and Hamilton Fish, Secretary of 
State, that I was sent into Asiatic Turkey as United States 
Consul. 

Among the further avowed Spiritualists, either in private 
or public, of the old world, were or are, W. F. Barrett, Professor 
of Physics in the Royal College of Science, Dublin; Gustav T. 
Fechner, Professor of Physics in the University of Leipsic; 
Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S., Professor of Physics in the University of 
Cambridge ; Professor Scheibner, teacher of mathematics in the 
University of Leipsic; W. E. Webber, Professor of Physics in 
the University of Gottenburg ; Dr. Franz Hoffman, Professor of 
Philosophy, Wertzburg University; Professor Wagner, Geolo- 
gist, University of Russia ; Professor Butlerof, Chemist, Russia ; 
Prof. F. Zoellner, Leipsic, author of "Transcendental Physics "; 
Prof. Nees Von Esenbeck, President of the Royal Academy of 
Science, Germany; Emilio Castelar, the Spanish patriot; Rev. 
John Page Hopps, the famous English preacher ; W. M. Thack- 
eray, the author ; Prof. Wm. Gregory ; S. C. Hall, the English 
writer; Lord Dunraven; Lord Adair; Blake and Flaxman, 
painters; Hiram Powers, the famous sculptor; Hon. George 
Thompson, the bosom friend of Garrison ; N. P. Talmadge, ex- 
Governor of Wisconsin^ Senator Simmons of Rhode Island; 
Hon. J. L. Sullivan, ex-Minister to Portugal ; Capt. R. F. Bur- 
ton, African traveller; Bayard Taylor, author and traveller; 
Oliver Johnson, formerly editor of the Christian Union; Rev. 



Who Are These Spiritualists? 133 

John Pierpont, of Boston; Epes Sargent, author and scientist; 
James G. Clark, writer, poet and musical composer ; Joseph Jef- 
ferson, the celebrated actor; Dr. Kane, the Arctic explorer; 
Countess of Caithness; Lady Cowper; Baron and Baroness 
Von Vay; H.I.H. Nicholas, Duke of Leuchtenberg; H.S.H. the 
Prince George of Solms, whom I last met by a beautiful fountain 
on Pincian Hill in Rome, were thorough Spiritualists. 

Wm. S. Robinson, the " Warrington " of the highest phase 
of journalism, as he neared his end frequently spoke of his 
visions of the future life. Richly enjoying them, he said, 
" Why, this world and the next are joined as closely as my two 
hands," clasping them together. " There they are, no break 
between, no gulf to pass. I feel every day like one who walks 
by a hedge and is looking for a gate, a gap to pass through, to 
walk on the other side. I don't know half the time whether I 
am in the body or not." These visions, like those of Peter, 
Paul and Patmos John, did not trouble him, for he said, " he 
was not afraid of ghosts." Like Coleridge, " he had seen too 
many of them." 

Socrates was constantly attended with a divine voice to ad- 
monish, guard and guide him in the events of his daily life; 
while it urged to good deeds he declared that it " restrained 
from evil." It sustained him to bear unrepiningly the revilings 
of the ill-tempered Xantippe, and with an unfaltering trust to 
drain the fatal cup. 

In the palmy and prosperous days of Greece, Spiritualism 
was the only religion that inspired to the higher life. Hence 
Hume says : " We learn from a hundred masterpieces of the in- 
tellect how untiring was that spirit of restless inquiry with which 
every people of Hellas searched into the secrets of the unseen. 
No city was founded; no army marched forth to battle; no 
vessels laden with emigrants set sail for Italy or Asia Minor 
without consulting the oracles of the gods." 

Hon. John P. Brown, connected with the Turkish Legation 
in Constantinople for twenty years, believed firmly in spiritual 
manifestations. 

Revs. Minot J. Savage, Wm. Brunton, Solon Lauer, and 
other prominent Unitarian preachers are fully convinced of the 



134 Book of Knowledge. 

truths and moral grandeur of Spiritualism. Some of them ad- 
vocate it openly. 

Such eminent statesmen and United States Senators as the 
late Miller, of Alabama, and Sprague, of Rhode Island, were 
Spiritualists. 

W. Emmette Coleman, the eminent writer, author and 
Orientalist of San Francisco, California; Dr. B. O. Flower, of 
the Arena, essayist and moral scientist; Barrett Brenning, the 
poet, now of Italy, are Spiritualists. 

Prof. Alexander Wilder, M.D., writer, author, electrician and 
metaphysician, known for his erudition in Europe quite as well 
as in America, is a confirmed believer in present inspirations and 
spirit ministries. 

Spiritualism converted Professor Hare, Robert Dale Owen, 
Professor Kiddle, and multitudes of other rank Materialists to 
faith in God and immortality. The once doubting, yet dis- 
tinguished S. C. Hall, of London, rejoicing used these words : 
" Spiritualism has made me a Christian." J. E. Jones, a staunch 
English Spiritualist, in his work entitled " Orthodox Spirit- 
ualism," makes this statement : " It may be well, as an historical 
fact, to state that more than one half of the Spiritualists of 
England are Christians connected with one or more of the 
churches." 

Truth is immortal. Truth never changes, though our con- 
ceptions of it change as we grow and unfold spiritually. Truth 
is never old. No truth ever perished utterly. The truths pro- 
claimed by the early Christians live, though at times half buried 
under the rubbish of pagan myth and priestly confessions of 
faith. Often old expressed truths receive new labels. They 
are more taking. Primitive Christianity, with its ameliorating 
fraternities and inspiring angel ministries, and true Spiritualism, 
with its rational philosophy and heavenly ministrations of 
spirits, are in principle and essence one. The New Testament 
is a living fountain of Spiritualism. And there is enough gen- 
uine Spiritualism, enough of Christianity probably, in the pres- 
ent institutional churchianity of the land to prevent entire stag- 
nation, or its complete moral putrefaction. Around the shat- 
tered vase the odors of the lilies still cling. Spiritualism is the 



Who Are These Spiritualists? 135 

only thing that can save Christianity before the march of 
science. 

Schismatics and Sectarists of different denominations, with 
no succession and not much of a pedigree, have never, singular 
as it may seem, in council or convention officially discussed the 
claims of Spiritualism ; while the Church of England, with mag- 
nificent courage and candor, grappled with it at a regular church 
congress ; Dr. Lightfoot, Bishop of Durham, presiding, and lis- 
tening to the papers read and speeches made upon " The Duty 
of the Church in respect to Spiritualism." It may be well to 
treasure up some of the gems gathered at this church congress. 
The learned Rev. Dr. Thornton said that Spiritualism " In its 
very nature is antagonistic to all Saduceeism and Materialism. 
It flatly contradicts the assertion of the miserable philosophy 
that makes the soul but a function of the brain, and death an 
eternal sleep. It tells of angels, of an immortal spirit, and of a 
future state of personal and conscious existence. 

" Spiritualists claim to hold intercourse with the spirits of 
the departed. Now I am far from denying the possibility of 
such intercourse ; on the contrary, I believe that in God's provi- 
dence it sometimes does take place. . . We clergymen are 
terribly afraid of saying a word about the intermediate state in 
the spirit realm of existence. We draw a hard and fast line 
between the seen and the unseen world. In vain does the creed 
express our belief in the communion of saints. Here, perhaps, 
some will say to me, ' You seem half a Spiritualist yourself.' 
Well, I am just as much a Spiritualist as St. Paul was when he 
wrote, ' I knew a man in Christ — whether in the body or out of 
the body I cannot tell, God knoweth — such an one was caught 
up to the third heaven.' Just as much as St. John when he bade 
his beloved ' try the spirits,' and said of himself that he was ' in 
the spirit on the Lord's day.' . . Let us thankfully acknowl- 
edge the truth of Spiritualists' teachings as weapons which we 
are too glad to wield against positivism and secularism and all 
the anti-Christianisms of this age." 

Rev. Canon Wilberforce, after remarking that " Spiritualism 
was now undoubtedly exercising a potent influence upon the 
religious beliefs of millions," said : 



136 Book of Knowledge. 

" Those who are following Spiritualism as a means and not 
an end contend warmly that it does not seek to undermine 
religion or to render obsolete the teachings of Christ; that, 
on the other hand, it furnishes illustrations and rational proof 
of them such as can be gained from no other source; that its 
manifestations will supply deists and atheists with positive dem- 
onstration of a life after death, and that they have been instru- 
mental in converting many Secularists and Materialists from 
skepticism to Christianity." 

In corroboration of this statement may be appended the 
remarkable testimony of Mr. S. C. Hall, the founder and editor 
of the Art Journal. " As to the use of Spiritualism," he says, 
" it has made me a Christian. I humbly and fervently thank 
God it has removed all my doubts." I could quote abundant 
instances of conversions from unbelief to belief — of some to 
perfect faith from total infidelity I am permitted to give one 
name ; it is that of Dr. Elliotson, who expresses his deep grati- 
tude to Almighty God for the blessed change that has been 
wrought in his heart and mind by Spiritualism." When this is 
the standpoint of the believer in the higher aspects of Spirit- 
ualism, it is obvious that we have to deal with no mere common- 
place infatuation, which can be brushed aside with indifference 
or contempt, but rather with a movement which is firmly 
established in all enlightened lands, and the influence of which 
is every day extended. Appealing, as it does, to the yearnings 
of the soul, especially in times of bereavement, for sensible evi- 
dence of the continuity of life after physical death, belief in 
modern Spiritualism continues rapidly to increase in all ranks 
of society." 



CHAPTER V. 
GALAXY OF PROMINENT SPIRITUALISTS. 

We present here a list of prominent modern Spiritualists nearly 
all of whom, and especially the scientific men, have arrived at their 
belief by careful and protracted experimental investigation. Can 
any reasonable and unprejudiced person, in the face of this tes- 
timony, deny that Spiritualism has a scientific basis? If so, we 
should like to know his reasons. 

Professor Oliver J. Lodge, F.R.S., Dr. Sc, Prof. Psychics, 
University College, London, author of " Modern Views of Elec- 
tricity," says : " I went into a state of skepticism as to the reality 
of Psychical Phenomena produced without apparent contact, but 
this skepticism has been overborne by facts." 

Professor W. F. Barrett, F.R.S.E., Professor of Experimental 
Physics and Dean of the Faculty of the Royal College of Sciences, 
Ireland, says : " The impressive fact of the phenomena is the in- 
telligence behind them and the evidence of an unseen individuality 
as distinct as our own." 

Dr. Robert Chambers, F.R.S., LL.D., author of " Vestiges of 
Creation," " Cyclopedia of English Literature," etc., says : " Al- 
ready Spiritualism, conducted as it usually is, has had a prodigious 
effect throughout America, and partly in the old world also, in 
redeeming multitudes from hardened atheism and materialism, 
proving to them by the positive demonstration which their positive 
cast of mind requires, that there is another world, that there is a 
non-material form of humanity, and that many miraculous things 
which hitherto they have scoffed at, are true. I have for many 
years known that these phenomena are real, as distinguished from 
imposture; and when fully accepted, revolutionize the whole 
frame of human opinion on many important matters." 

Professor Herbert Mayo, F.R.S., M.D., Professor of Anatomy 
and Physiology, King's College, London, says : " Twenty-five 



138 Book of Knowledge. 

years ago I was a hard-headed unbeliever. Spiritual phenomena, 
however, suddenly and quite unexpectedly, were soon after devel- 
oped in my own family. This led me to inquire and to try 
numerous experiments in such a way as to preclude the possibility 
of trickery and self-deception. That the phenomena occur there 
is overwhelming evidence, and it is too late now to deny their 
existence." 

Dr. Lockhart Robertson, F.R.S., sometime editor of British 
Journal of Mental Sciences, says : " The writer can now no more 
doubt the physical manifestations of so-called Spiritualism than 
we could any other fact, as for example, the fall of an apple to 
the ground, of which his senses informed him." 

Alfred Russel Wallace, F.R.S., LL.D., D.C.L., the foremost 
living European naturalist, says : " My position, therefore, is that 
the phenomena of Spiritualism in their entirety do not require 
further confirmation. They are" proved quite as well as any facts 
are proved in other sciences, and it is not denial or quibbling that 
can disprove any of them, but only fresh facts and accurate de- 
ductions from those facts." 

Professor James Challis, F.R.S., Plimian Professor of As- 
tronomy and Experimental Philosophy, Cambridge University, 
says : " The testimony has been so abundant and consentaneous 
that either the facts must be admitted to be such as reported, or 
the possibility of certifying facts by human testimony must be 
given up." 

Professor A. De Morgan, late President of the Mathematical 
Society, says : " The Spiritualists beyond a doubt are on the track 
that has led to all advancement in physical science. Their oppo- 
nents are the representatives of those who have striven against 
progress." 

Professor William Denton, the eminent lecturer on Geology, 
author of " Our Planet, its Past and Future," " Soul of Things," 
etc., says : " Spiritualism is a belief in the communication of intel- 
ligence from the spirits of the departed, commonly obtained 
through a person of susceptibility, called a ' medium.' " 

Professor Elliott Coues, M.A., M.D., Ph.D., Professor of 
Zoology and Comparative Anatomy, Norwich University, etc., 
Professor of Biology in the Victorian Agricultural College, Mem- 



Galaxy of Prominent Spiritualists. 139 

ber of the National Academy of Sciences, author of " Field Or- 
nithology," " Air Fauna," " Columbeana," etc., writes : " Will 
you have the opinion of such a person as I have described, who 
for about ten years has studied, watched, and followed the phe- 
nomena of so-called Spiritualism, and who speaks from personal 
experiences with almost every one of them? Then let me tell 
you that I know that the alleged phenomena of Spiritualism are 
true, substantially as alleged." 

Professor Robert Hare, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry in 
the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate of Yale College and 
Harvard University, Associate of the Smithsonian Institution, in- 
ventor of improvements in the Oxy-hydrogen blow pipe, and 
member of various learned societies, author of " Spiritualism 
Scientifically Demonstrated, says : " Far from abating my confi- 
dence in the inferences respecting the agencies of the spirits of 
deceased mortals, in the manifestation of which I have given 
an account in my work, I have had even more striking evidences 
of that agency than those given in the work in question ! " 

Professor Tornebom, Sweden, says: "Only those deny the 
phenomena of Spiritualism who have never examined them, but 
profound study alone can explain them." 

Professor J. C. F. Zollner, Professor of Physical Astronomy 
at the University of Leipsic, Member of the Royal Saxon So- 
ciety of Sciences, Foreign Member of the Royal Astronomical 
Society of London, of the Imperial Academy of Natural Philos- 
ophers at Moscow, Honorary Member of the Physical Association, 
Frankfort, of the Scientific Society of Psychological Studies at 
Paris, etc., of the British National Association of Spiritualists at 
London, says : " We have acquired proof of the existence of an 
invisible world which can enter into relations with humanity." 

Professor James H. Hyslop writes : " I shall not remain by 
the spiritualistic theory if a better one can be obtained to explain 
the phenomena. I advance it simply as a hypothesis that will 
explain the facts. . . . There is no other explanation but 
Spiritualism." 

Dr. Ashburner (one of the Queen's physicians), author of 
" Animal Magnetism and Spiritualism." 

Dr. Paul Gibier, Director of the Pasteur Institute, New York, 



140 Book of Knowledge. 

Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, author of " Spiritualism or 
Fakirism," " Psychicism, Analysis of Things Existing," etc. 

Dr. Paul Gibier, whose recent loss to Science and Spiritualism 
is deeply to be regretted, contends in his interesting " Analysis of 
Things," which has for its subtitle, " An Essay upon the Science 
of the Future," that the proof of man's possessing a conscience 
which survives the change called death has been already estab- 
lished by the phenomena of Spiritualism. 

Dr. J. M. Gully, M.D., Royal College of Surgeons, London, 
and Royal Physical Society, Edinburgh, author of " Neuropathy 
and Nervousness," says : " After two years investigation of the 
fact and numerous seances, I have not the slightest doubt and 
have the strongest conviction that such materialization takes place, 
and that not the slightest attempt at trick or deception is fairly at- 
tributable to any one who assisted at Miss Cook's seances." 

Dr. J. M. Peebles, M.D., the celebrated traveler, author, and 
speaker, formerly the U. S. Consul at Tribizond, author of " The 
Seers of the Ages," " Immortality, Our Homes and Employments 
in the Spirit World," " Three Journeys Around the World," 
" Death Defied," " Christ Question Settled," etc., etc. ; 

Dr. Hallock, New York, says : " Spiritualism is no new prob- 
lem that ought to have taken the disciples of science by surprise." 

Dr. F. L. Nicholls, M.D., F.A.S., author of Esoteric Anthro- 
pology," etc., says : " I have in my possession direct writings and 
drawings done under absolute test conditions by departed spirits, 
with whose handwriting I am as familiar as with my own." 

Lord Brougham, Statesman, writes : " Even in the most cloud- 
less skies of skepticism I see a rain-cloud, if it be no bigger than 
a man's hand; it is modern Spiritualism." 

Baron Carl du Prel, Munich, states : " One thing is clear : 
that psychography must be ascribed to a transcendental origin. 
We shall find : That the hypothesis of prepared slates is inadmis- 
sible. The place on which the writing is found is quite inaccessible 
to the hands of the medium. This intelligence can read, write 
and understand the language of human beings, frequently such 
as is unknown to the medium. These beings are, therefore, al- 
though invisible, of human nature, or species. It is no use what- 
ever to fight against the proposition." 



Galaxy of Prominent Spiritualists. 141 

Camille Flammarion, the famous astronomer, author of " The 
Unknown," remarks that although Spiritualism is not a religion 
but a science, yet the day may come when religion and science 
will be reunited in one single synthesis. 

Mr. (and Mrs.) S. C. Hall, F.S.A., Editor Art Journal, 
writes : " The mockers and scoffers at Spiritualism are almost ex- 
clusively those who have seen nothing of it, know nothing about 
it, and will not inquire concerning it." 

Hudson Tuttle, author of " Arcana of Nature," " Arcana of 
Spiritualism," " Religion of Man," " Studies in Psychic Science," 
etc., remarks : " Spiritualism is the knowledge of everything per- 
taining to the spiritual nature of man ; and, as spirit is the mov- 
ing force of the universe, in its widest scope it grasps the dominion 
of Nature. It embraces all that is known and all that ever can 
be known. It is Cosmopolitan Eclecticism, receiving all that is 
good and rejecting all that is bad." 

Harriet Beecher Stowe writes : " One of the deepest and most 
imperative craving of the human heart as it follows its beloved 
ones beyond the veil, is for some assurance that they still love 
and care for us. . . . They have overcome, have risen, are 
crowned, glorified ; but still they remain to us, our assistants, our 
comforters, and in every hour of darkness their voice speaks 
to us." 

Henry W. Longfellow, poet, says : " The spiritual world lies 
all about us, and its avenues are open to the unseen feet of phan- 
toms that come and go, and we perceive them not save by their 
influence, or when at times a most mysterious providence permits 
them to manifest themselves to mortal eyes." 

Dr. Adam Clarke says : " I believe that there is a supernatural 
and spiritual world in which human spirits, both good and bad, 
live in a state of consciousness. I believe that any of these spirits 
may, according to the order of God, in the laws of their place of 
residence, have intercourse with this world and become visible 
to mortals." 

Robert S. Wyld, LL.D., says : " With regard to spirit writing, 
there is no order of spiritual phenomena which impresses me more 
powerfully. . . . The evidence that the writing was produced 
by a spiritual intelligence, without the intervention of human 
hands, was overwhelming." 



142 Book of Knowledge. 

Sir Edwin Arnold writes : " All I can say is this : that I regard 
many of the manifestations as genuine and undeniable, or in- 
explicable by any known law, or collusion arrangement or decep- 
tion of the senses ; and that I conceive it the duty and interest of 
men of science and sense to examine and prosecute the inquiry, 
as one which has thoroughly passed from the region or ridicule." 

Eugene Nus, poet, philosopher, dramatic author and journal- 
ist, declared in his " Things of the Other World," " that he had 
found Spiritualism everywhere, and that it is sowing the seeds 
of a systematic morality which is greatly preferable to the dreary 
negations which Materialism offers us." 

Victor Hugo w T rites : " To abandon these spiritual phenomena 
to incredulity is to commit a treason against human reason." 

Lord Tennyson, England's Poet of the Century. 

Nicholas, Duke of Leuchtenberg ; Abraham Lincoln; Lord 
Bulwer Lytton ; John Ruskin ; Sir W. Trevelyan. 

Elizabeth Barrett Browning writes : " For theories we get over 
no difficulty, it seems to me, by escaping from the obvious infer- 
ence of an external spiritual agency. When the phenomena was 
attributed, for instance to a second personality, projected un- 
consciously and attended by an unconscious exercise of volition 
and clairvoyance; I see nothing clearly but a convulsive struggle 
on the part of the theorist to get out of a position he does not 
like, at whatever expense of kicks at the analogies of God's 
universe." 

L. Figuer, editor L'Anne Scientific et Industrielle" who had 
done so much to popularize science, and in whose book entitled 
" The Day After Death," there is such a fund of spiritual knowl- 
edge, wrote as follows : " I hold it for a certainty that there exists 
intermediate beings between God and man. I am absolutely ig- 
norant as to how they can communicate with the earth, but the 
fact of such communication appears to be positive." 

Alexander Dumas, pere, believed in spirits, apparitions and un- 
seen influences. He always believed that his father's spirit came 
just after it had quitted the body to say farewell to him. He felt 
warm breath on his face and heard a voice say : " Alexander, I 
have come to bid you adieu. Be a good boy and love your 
mother." (Memoir by Mrs. Emil Crawford.) 






Galaxy of Prominent Spiritualists. 143 

W. M. Thackeray says : " It is all very well for you who have 
probably never seen any Spiritual Manifestations to talk as you 
do ; but if you had seen what I have witnessed, you would hold a 
different opinion." 

I. H. Fichte, the German philospher and author, writes : " I 
feel it my duty to bear testimony to the great fact of Spiritualism. 
No one should keep silent." 

William Lloyd Garrison says : " For the last three years we 
have kept pace with nearly all that has been published on the sub- 
ject, and we have witnessed at various times many surprising 
' manifestations ' ; and our conviction is that they cannot be 
accounted for on any other theory than that of spiritual agency." 

Hon. Luther R. Marsh states : " It is not enough to know the 
fact of immortality. It asserts its value only when it so enters 
and controls the life as to make the spirit worthy of this im- 
mortal and inestimable boon." 

Archbishop Whately : " The Archbishop had long been a be- 
liever in mesmerism and latterly in clairvoyance and Spiritualism." 
(Memoirs of Whately. Fitzpatrick). 

Rev. Minot J. Savage, D.D., author of " Psychics, Facts and 
Theories," " Life Beyond Death," etc. 

Rev. B. F. Austin, M.A., LL.D., Canada, writes : " After some 
years of investigation, after a great variety of circumstances, I 
dare affirm that the ethical system taught in these spirit com- 
munications has never been surpassed in the lofty character of 
the duties it proclaims or the power and variety of the motives 
it urges to secure obedience to law. The spiritual beauty, in- 
herent divinity of many of these spirit messages renders the 
thought of their diabolical origin a moral impossibility and the 
origin of that thought a blasphemy." 

Canon Wilberforce says : " It is a strengthening, calming con- 
sideration that we are in the midst of an invisible world of spirit- 
ual beings than whom we have been made for a little while lower. 
Blessed be God for the knowledge of a world like this. It is 
evidently that region or condition of space in which the departed 
find themselves immediately after death; probably it is nearer 
than we imagine, for St. Paul speaks of our being surrounded by 
a cloud of witnesses. There it seems to me they are waiting for 
us." 



144 Book of Knowledge. 

Rev. W. E. Channing says : " We have good reason to believe 
that if we obtain admission into heaven, we shall still have oppor- 
tunity, not only to return to earth, but to view the operation of 
God in distant spheres, and be his ministers in other worlds." 

Theodore Parker says: " It (Spiritualism) has more evidence 
for its wonders than any historic form of religion hitherto, 
it admits all the truths of religion and morality in all the 
world's sects. . . . Shall we know our friends again? 
For my own part, I cannot doubt it; least of all when I drop 
a tear over their recent dust. Death does not separate them 
from here. Can life in heaven do it ? " 

Rev. Adin Ballou states : " Departed spirits have a higher mes- 
meric, magnetic, or psychologic power than have mortals of a cor- 
responding grade. Facts have proven this in many remarkable 
cases. It will yet be demonstrated to the conviction of all candid 
investigators." 

Rev. E. R. Sanborn says : " There are sad hearts for whom 
death has made this world a tomb, which have been cheered and 
lifted into light and glory by the scintillations of love from an 
unknown world, which unseen lies around us all. The gloom 
has been transformed into shimmering splendor, by processes 
more marvellous than any physicist has found. And souls to 
whom this world has been a hell, have been suddenly awakened 
to find it a heaven, surpassing any tale of seer or fairy." 

T. B. Barkas, F.G.S., writes : " I have investigated and ex- 
perimented under every kind of reasonable test my ingenuity could 
devise. . . . Notwithstanding all tests and all precautions, 
phenomena have taken place which are utterly inexplicable by 
reference to any known physical or psychological law. All this 
I have done with the cold eye and steady pulse of a scientist." 

Phillip Pearsall Carpenter, Naturalist, says : " I have left off 
believing in deaths (so-called)." 

F. W. H. Meyers, Member of Society for Psychical Research, 
author of " Phantasms of the Living," states : " Not, then, with 
tears and lamentations should we think of the blessed dead. 
Rather we should rejoice with them in their franchisement and 
know that they are still minded to keep us as sharers in their joy. 
It is they, not we, who are working now, they are more ready to 



Galaxy of Prominent Spiritualists. 145 

hear than we to pray ; they guide us as with a cloudy pillar, but 
it is kindling to steadfast fire." 

Washington Irving writes : " What could be more consoling 
than the idea that the souls of those we once loved were permitted 
to return and watch over our welfare. I see nothing in it (Spirit- 
ualism) that is incompatible with the tender and merciful nature 
of our religion, or revolting to the wishes and affections of the 
heart." 

Charlotte Bronte says : " Besides this earth and besides this 
race of men, there is an invisible world and a kingdom of spirits : 
that world is around us, for it is everywhere; and these spirits 
watch us, for they are commissioned to guard us." 

Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, says : " I 
have sat with three others around a small table, with every one 
of our eight hands lying plainly, palpably on the table, and heard 
rapid writing with a pencil on paper, which perfectly white we 
had just previously placed under the table ; and we have the next 
minute picked up the paper with a sensible, straightforward 
message of twenty to fifty words fairly written thereon. . . . 
Yet I am quite confident that none of the persons present, who 
were visible to mortal eyes wrote it." 

Bellachini, Court Conjurer, states : " I have thoroughly ex- 
amined with minutest observation and investigation of the sur- 
roundings including the table, and have not in the smallest 
instance found anything to be produced by means of prestidigita- 
tive manifestations or by mechanical apparatus." 

Thomas Wentworth Higginson says : " If I have not satisfac- 
tory evidence of the genuineness of these phenomena which I have 
just described, then there is no such thing as evidence, and all the 
fabric of natural science may be a mass of imposture." 

M. Auguste Vaquerie, Dramatist, Journalist, and Man of 
Letters, remarks : " I am happy to be able to say, as regards the 
existence of what are called spirits, that I have no doubt of 
it. . . . Why should they not communicate to a man by any 
means whatsoever ; and why should not that means be a table ? " 

Padre Secchi, an Italian priest of conspicuous ability in the 
Church of Rome, says : " Spiritualism will be the great event of 
the present century." 



146 Book of Knowledge. 

Charles Fauvety, also a distinguished French Philosopher 
and author of " The New Revelation," declared modern Spirit- 
ualism to be the force which will regenerate society. 

Colonel Count de Rochas d'Aiglun, who is at the head of the 
great Polytechnic School in Paris, and author of some highly 
important works on Psychic Science, accepts Spiritualism as a 
great scientific truth, and the action of invisible beings upon in- 
carnate intelligences as a demonstrable fact." 

General Pix, a French writer who adopts the nom de plume 
of " Henri Constant," in a work on " The Religion of the 
Future," observes : " Spiritualism, a doctrine more powerful than 
all the combined forces which live in darkness, has ended by tri- 
umphing over all its enemies and to-day it emerges from its pro- 
tracted lethargy, more vital, more powerful and more robust 
than ever it was." 

Rene Caillie, son of the celebrated explorer who discovered 
Timbuctoo, published a work entitled " Christian Spiritualism," 
has written in eloquent terms of the lofty morality which it in- 
culcates, and terms it " the revelation of revelations." 

Edouard Grimard, Professor in the University of Paris, ex- 
Director of Normal Schools, a valued contributor to the Revue 
de Deux Mondes, and author of that excellent work, " La Plante 
Botanique Simplifiee," writes in his beautiful " An Escape into 
the Infinite," that Spiritualism " occupies itself with the most 
serious things of science, philosophy, morality and religion; in 
a word, with the wonders of the invisible world; that is to say 
with the loftiest preoccupations which can haunt the human 
brain." 

Madame Rufina Noeggerath, authoress of that striking work, 
" The Survival," while declaring the reality of the facts of Spir- 
itualism, reminds us that they have the voice of all antiquity in 
their favor, and are attested in our own times by men of the 
highest authority in science, whose good faith, integrity, and 
intelligence are above suspicion. 



CHAPTER VI. 
INCIDENTS IN MY LIFE. 

BY D. D. HOME. 

I was born near Edinburgh in March, 1833. When I was 
about a year old, I was adopted by an aunt, and I accompanied 
her and her husband to America when I was about nine years old. 
I was very delicate as a child, and of a highly nervous tempera- 
ment ; so much so that it was not thought that I could be reared. 
I cannot remember when I first became subject to the curious 
phenomena which have now for so long attended me, but my aunt 
and others have told me that when I was a baby my cradle was 
frequently rocked, as if some kind guardian spirit was tending 
me in my slumbers. My aunt has also told me that when I was 
about four years old I had a vision of the circumstances attending 
the passing from earth of a little cousin, I being at Portobello, 
near Edinburgh, and she at Linlithgow, all of which proved to be 
entirely correct, though I had mentioned persons as being present 
about her whom it was thought could not have been there, and 
had noticed the absence of her father on the water, at a time 
when it was thought that he must have been with her at home. 

When about thirteen years of age, the first vision which I dis- 
tinctly remember occurred. I was, from my delicate health, un- 
able to join the sports of other boys of my own age. I had, a 
few months before the vision which I am about to relate, made 
the acquaintance of a boy two or three years my senior, and some- 
what similar to myself both in character and organization. We 
were in the habit of reading the Bible together, and upon one 
occasion, in the month of April, as we had been reading it in the 
woods, and we were both of us silently contemplating the beauties 
of the springing vegetation, he turned to me and said, " Oh ! I 
have been reading such a strange story ! " and he told me a ghost 
Story connected with the family of Lord , and which I have 



148 Book of Knowledge. 

since found to be well authenticated. A portrait of the lady to 
whom it occurred still exists in the family and is known as the 

lady with the black ribbon. The present Lord , who is of 

the same family, has told me that he was born in the chamber 
where the spirit appeared. My friend Edwin asked me if I 
thought the story could be true, and I said I did not know, but 
that I had heard strange things of that kind. We then agreed 
that whichever one of us should first be called from earth, would, 
if God permitted it, appear to the other the third day afterwards. 
We read another chapter of the Bible together, and we prayed 
that so it might be to us. About a month from this time I went 
with my family to reside at Troy in the State of New York, a 
distance from Norwich, where Edwin lived, of nearly three hun- 
dred miles. I had been to spend the evening at the latter end of 
June with some friends, and nothing had occurred during the 
evening to excite my imagination, or to excite my mind; on the 
contrary I was in a calm state. The family had retired to rest 
and I at once went to my room, which was so completely filled 
with the moonlight as to render a candle unnecessary. After 
saying my prayers I was seated on the bed, and about to draw 
the sheet over me, when a sudden darkness seemed to pervade 
the room. This surprised me, as I had not seen a cloud in the 
sky ; and on looking up I saw the moon still shining, but it was 
on the other side of the darkness, which still grew more dense, 
until through the darkness there seemed to be a gleam of light, 
which I cannot describe, but is was similar to those which I and 
many others have seen when the room has been illuminated by 
spiritual presence. This light increased and my attention was 
drawn to the foot of my bed where stood my friend Edwin. He 
appeared as in a cloud of brightness, and the only difference I 
saw was that his hair was long and that it fell in wavy ringlets 
upon his shoulders. He looked on me with a smile of ineffable 
sweetness, then slowly raising the right arm, he pointed upward, 
and making with it three circles in the air, the hand began slowly 
to disappear, and then the arm and finally the whole body melted 
away. The natural light of the room was then again apparent. 
I was speechless and could not move, though I retained all my 
reasoning faculties. As soon as the power of movement was re- 



Incidents in My Life. 149 

stored, I rang the bell, and the family, thinking I was ill, came to 
my room, when my first words were, " I have seen Edwin— he 
died three days ago at this very hour." This was found to be 
perfectly correct by a letter which came a few days afterwards, 
announcing that after only a few hours illness he had died of 
malignant dysentery. 

My mother was a seer throughout her life. She passed from 
earth in the year 1850 at the age of forty-two. She had what is 
known in Scotland as the second sight, and in many instances 
she saw things which were afterwards found to have occurred 
at a distance, just as she had described them. She also foresaw 
many events which occurred in the family and foretold the pass- 
ing away of relatives, and lastly, she foretold her own death 
four months previously. 

I was then seventeen and was residing at Norwich, Connecti- 
cut, and my mother was living at Water ford, near New London, 
twelve miles distant. One day I suddenly felt a strong impulse 
that she wished to see me and I walked all the way in conse- 
quence of this impression. When I got home, I felt an impres- 
sion that she had something particular to communicate to me that 
evening. When we were alone I turned to her and said, " What 
have you to say to me, mother?" She looked at me with in- 
tense surprise, and then a smile came over her face, and she said, 
" Well, dear, it was only to tell you that four months from this 
time I shall leave you." I asked incredulously how she knew, 
and she said, " Your little sister, Mary, came to me in a vision, 
holding four lilies in her hand, and allowing them to slip through 
her fingers one after the other, till the last one had fallen, she 
said, ' And then you will come to me/ I asked her whether the 
four lilies signified years, months, weeks or days, and she told me 
1 months.' " I had been quite impressed by this narration, when 
my mother added — " and I shall be quite alone when I die, and 
there will not be a relative near to close my eyes." This appeared 
to me so improbable, not to say impossible, inasmuch as the 
family was a large one, and we had many relatives, that I said 
to her, " Oh, mother, I am so delighted you have told me this, 
because it shows that it must be a false vision." She shook her 
head. Mary was a little sister who had been taken from earth 



150 Book of Knowledge. 

under most trying circumstances about four years previously. 
My mother was out for a walk, leaving the child at home, and on 
returning, having to cross a running stream, and whilst she was 
on the bridge over it, she saw what appeared to be some loose 
clothes floating on the water, and hastening to the side to see 
what it was, she drew out the body of her child. 

The apparently impossible prophecy was literally fulfilled, 
for by a strange complication of circumstances, my mother was 
taken ill amongst strangers, and a telegram which they sent on 
the last day of the fourth month announcing her serious illness, 
only reached us about half-past eleven in the morning. Being 
myself confined to bed by illness at the house of my aunt, and 
she being unable to leave me, the telegram was sent on to my 
father. That same evening, about twilight, being alone in my 
room, I heard a voice at the head of my bed which I did not 
recognize, saying to me solemnly, " Dan, twelve o'clock." I 
turned my head and between the window and my bed I saw 
what appeared to be the bust of my mother. I saw her lips move 
and again I heard the same words, " Dan, twelve o'clock." A 
third time she repeated this, and disappeared from my sight. I 
was extremely agitated, and rang the bell hastily to summon my 
aunt ; and when she came I said, " Aunty, mother died to-day at 
twelve o'clock, because I have seen her, and she told me." She 
said, " Nonsense, child, you are ill, and this is the effect of a 
fevered brain." It was, however, too true, as my father found 
on going to see her, that she had died at twelve o'clock, and with- 
out the presence of a relative to close her eyes. 

My mother has also told me that her great uncle, Colin Urqu- 
hart, and her uncle, Mr. Mackenzie, were also seers, and gifted 
with the second sight. 

A few months after my mother had passed from earth, one 
night on going to bed, I heard three loud blows on the head of 
my bed as if struck by a hammer. My first impression was that 
some one must be concealed in my room to frighten me. They 
were again repeated, and as they were sounding in my ears, the 
impression first came to me that they were something not of earth. 
After a few moments' silence they were again heard, and al- 
though I spent a sleepless night, I no longer felt or heard any 



1 



Incidents in My Life. 151 

repetition of them. My aunt was a member of the Kirk of Scot- 
land, and I had some two years previously, to her great disap- 
probation, become a member of the Wesleyan body — but her 
opposition was so violent that I left them to join the Congrega- 
tionalists. On going down to breakfast in the morning she noticed 
my wan appearance, and taunted me with having been agitated 
by some of my prayer meetings. I was about to seat myself at 
the breakfast table, when our ears were assailed by a perfect 
shower of raps all over the table. I stopped almost terror-stricken 
to hear again such sounds coming with no visible cause ; but I was 
soon brought back to the realities of life by my aunt's exclamation 
of horror, " So you've brought the devil to my house, have you? " 
I ought here to state chat there had then been some talk of the so- 
called Rochester knockings through the Fox family, but apart 
from casually hearing of them, I had paid no attention to them ; 
I did not even know what they meant. My aunt, on the contrary, 
had heard of them from some of the neighbors, and considered 
them as some of the v/orks of the Evil One. In her uncontrollable 
anger, she seized a chair and threw it at me. Knowing how en- 
tirely innocent I was of the cause of her unfortunate anger, my 
feelings were deeply injured by her violence, and at the same time 
I was strengthened in a determination to find out what might be 
the cause of these disturbances of our morning meal. There was 
in the village three ministers, one a Congregationalist, one a Bap- 
tist, and the other a Wesleyan. In the afternoon my aunt, her 
anger at me having for the moment caused her to lose sight of 
her prejudices against these rival persuasions, sent for them to 
consult with her, and to pray for me, that I might be freed from 
such visitations. The Baptist minister, Mr. Mussey, came first, 
and after having questioned me as to how I had brought these 
things about me, and finding that I could give him no explana- 
tion, he desired that we might pray together for a cessation of 
them. Whilst we were thus engaged in prayer, at every mention 
of the Holy names of God and Jesus, there came gentle taps on 
his chair, and in different parts of the room ; whilst at every ex- 
pression of a wish for God's loving mercy to be shown to us 
and our fellow-creatures, there were loud rappings, as if joining 
in our heartfelt prayers. I was so struck, and so impressed by 



152 Book of Knowledge. 

this, that then and there, upon my knees, I resolved to place my- 
self entirely at God's disposal, and to follow the leadings of that 
which I then felt must be only good and true, else why should 
it have signified its joy at those special portions of the prayer? 
This was, in fact, the turning point of my life, and I have never 
had cause to regret for one instant my determination, though 
I have been called on for many years to suffer deeply in 
carrying it out. My honor has been called in question, my pride 
wounded, my early prospects blighted, and I was turned 
out of house and home at the age of eighteen, though still a child 
in body from the delicacy of my health, without a friend and with 
three younger children dependent on me for support. 

Of the other two clergymen, the Congregationalist would not 
enter into the subject, saying that he saw no reason why a pure- 
minded boy should be persecuted for what he was not responsible 
to prevent or cause, and the Methodist was so unkind, attributing 
it to the devil, that I derived no comfort from him. 

Notwithstanding the visits of these ministers, and the con- 
tinued horror of my aunt, which only increased as each manifes- 
tation was developed, the rappings continued, and the furniture 
now began to be moved about without any visible agency. The 
first time this occurred I was in my room, and was brushing my 
hair before the looking-glass. In the glass I saw a chair that 
stood between me and the door, moving slowly towards me. 
My first feeling was one of intense fear and I looked round to see 
if there were no escape; but there was the chair between me and 
the door, and still it moved towards me as I continued looking at 
it. When within about a foot of me it stopped, whereupon I 
jumped past it, rushed down stairs, seized my hat in the hall, and 
went out to wonder on this wonderful phenomenon. 

After this, when sitting quietly in the room with my aunt and 
uncle, the table, and sometimes the chairs, and other furniture, 
were moved about by themselves in a singular way, to the great 
disgust and surprise of my relations. Upon one occasion, as the 
table was being thus moved about of itself, my aunt brought the 
family Bible, and placing it on the table, said, " There, that will 
soon drive the devils away ; " but to her astonishment the table 
only moved in a more lively manner, as if pleased to bear such a 






Incidents in My Life. 153 

burden. Seeing this, she was greatly incensed, and determining 
to stop it, she angrily placed her whole weight on the table, and 
was actually lifted up with it bodily from the floor. My only 
consolation at this time was from another aunt, a widow, who 
lived near, whose heartfelt sympathy did much to cheer and 
console me. At her house, when I visited her, the same phenom- 
ena occurred ; and we there first began to ask questions, to which 
we received intelligent replies. The spirit of my mother at her 
house in this way communicated the following : " Daniel, fear 
not, my child, God is with you, and who shall be against you? 
Seek to do good : be truthful and truth-loving, and you will 
prosper, my child. Yours is a glorious mission — you will con- 
vince the infidel, cure the sick, and console the weeping." This 
was the first communication I ever received, and it came within 
the first week of these visitations. I remember it well. I have 
never forgotten it, and can never forget it while reason and life 
shall last. I have reason to remember it, too, because this was the 
last week I passed in the house of the aunt who had adopted me, 
for she was unable to bear the continuance of the phenomena, 
which so distressed her religious convictions, and she felt it a 
duty that I should leave her house, which I did. 

One of the singular manifestations which occurred during 
this first week, was in connection with Mrs. Force, a neighbor. 
I should mention that by this time the neighbors had heard of 
what was occurring in my presence, and were besieging the house 
in a way that did not tend to soothe the religious susceptibilities 
of my aunt. Being one evening at the house of Mrs. Force, the 
raps were heard and the alphabet was used in the way that has 
now become familiar to many. The name of her mother was in 
this way given, announcing her presence and words were spelt 
out reproaching her with having so long forgotten her half-sister, 
who had been married some thirty years previously to a farmer, 
who removed to the far west, and had not since been heard of. 
Her mother went on, by means of the alphabet and the raps, to 
state the name of the town where this daughter by a former 
husband lived, the number of their children, and each of their 
names. Mrs. Force wrote to the address thus given, and received 
a letter in reply confirming every particular; and the family was 



154 Book of Knowledge. 

in this way again brought together, and mutual sympathies were 
interchanged. On visiting Mrs. Force the following year, I found 
that she had one of her newly found nephews to visit her the 
previous autumn. 

I go into these particulars not to revive or to cause painful 
recollections to any one, but merely to show the history of my 
mediumship, and the mysterious working of Providence in thus 
throwing me before the public. Had it not been for this chain 
of circumstances, these truths might not have been so widely 
known as they are now. 

Although the manifestations had only lasted a week, they had 
become known not only to the town, but through the newspapers 
they were becoming public all over the New England States ; and 
when I left my aunt's house, I went to a neighboring town, Willi- 
mantic, and was received at the house of a friend there. Whilst 
I was with him, these phenomena were repeated, and those pres- 
ent investigated them in the most determined manner. I find the 
following account of what occurred stated in a newspaper of 
March, 185 1 : 

" At request, the table was moved repeatedly, and in any direc- 
tion that we asked to have it. All the circle, the medium in- 
cluded, had their hands flat upon the table while it was in the most 
rapid motion, and saw that no legs or feet had any agency in the 
movement. The table was a large and heavy one, without castors, 
and could not be moved by Mr. Hayden in the same manner by 
all his exertion with his hands laid open upon the table. At one 
time, too, the table was moved without the medium's hands or 
feet touching it at all. At our request, the table was turned over 
into our lap. The table was moved, too, while Mr. Hayden was 
trying to hold it still! Mr. Hayden took hold of the top at first, 
and failing that way, he grasped the leg and held it with all his 
strength. The table did not move so freely as before. It would 
move a little way from Mr. Hayden and then the invisible power 
would suddenly relax its effort, when it would spring back with 
the exertion of Mr. Hayden." 

I was then eighteen years old, and on seeing this article 
which made me so public, I shrank from so prominent a position 
with all the earnestness of a sensitive mind; but I now found 



Incidents in My Life. 155 

myself finally embarked without any volition of my own, and, 
indeed, greatly against my will, upon the tempestuous sea of a 
public life. From this time I never had a moment to call my own. 
In sickness or in health, by day or night, my privacy was in- 
truded on by all comers, some from curiosity and some from higher 
motives. Men and women of all classes and all countries; phy- 
sicians and men of science, ministers of all persuasions, and men 
of literature and of art, all have eagerly sought for the proofs of 
this great and absorbing question of the possibility of spiritual 
causes acting on this world of nature. For myself, I have no 
apology to offer for the occurrence of these unwonted manifesta- 
tions in my own case. As will have been seen, they came to me 
quite unsought and with all the unpleasant and painful accompani- 
ments which I have described. I have not, and never had the 
slightest power over them, either to bring them on, or to send 
them away, or to increase, or to lessen them. What may be the 
peculiar laws under which they have become developed in my 
person I know no more than others. Whilst they occur I am not 
conscious of the mode by which they are produced, nor of the 
sort of manifestation that is about to occur. Any peculiar sen- 
sations that I may experience during certain of the manifesta- 
tions, I will describe as far as I can, while mentioning the visions 
or external phenomena. Beyond being of a highly nervous or- 
ganization, there is nothing peculiar about me that I am aware of ; 
but I continue to have delicate health, and I firmly believe that 
had it not been for these phenomena I could not have lived till 
now. In this belief many physicians of high standing have given 
their testimony to bear me out. Frequently during the most 
severe visitations of illness, my pains have been suddenly soothed 
in a mysterious way and many times when it would have been 
impossible to have moved me in bed, for fear of increased 
hemorrhage from the lungs, my head has been slowly lifted, and 
my pillow has been turned by unseen hands. This has been re- 
peatedly witnessed by many persons. Especially, I would say, 
that I do not on this account or on any other, consider myself 
morally superior to others, on account of moral or immoral qual- 
ities. On the contrary, with the great blessings which have been 
showered on me, and the ineffable proofs of God's providence 



156 Book of Knowledge. 

and goodness to me, I feel myself only worse than others that I 
should have made so little progress in the path of good. I have 
to thank God for many kind friends, not less than for many 
bitter enemies, since they keep my mind in an equilibrium, and 
do not suffer me to feel any pride, at what no doubt is an accident, 
so to speak, of my organization. 

These extraordinary occurrences have, with some exceptions, 
continued with me ever since the time I stated as their com- 
mencement, and they have extended their range, to my astonish- 
ment not less than to that of others, in the most striking manner. 
They have proved to me and to thousands of careful and able 
investigators, the existence of spiritual forces which are calculated 
to revolutionize the current ignorance ' both of philosophy and 
of theology, as men have made them. The exceptions to which I 
refer have been of periods during which the power has left me 
entirely; for instance, from the 10th of February, 1856, to the 10th 
of February, 1857, during which time I had no external token 
of spirit power, though I on several occasions had visions, one 
of which was my seeing the manner in which a brother passed 
from earth. He was frozen in the Polar Seas whilst out bear- 
shooting with the captain and officers of his ship. Falling into 
a fissure of the ice, he was not found till the following morning. 
I saw all this in a vision at the very time of its occurrence and 
informed my family of it five months before the confirmation of 
the intelligence arrived. On several other occasions the power 
has ceased for shorter periods, and generally I ha\'e been told 
beforehand, both of the times of its cessation and return. I 
could never detect any physical cause for such cessation, nor any 
difference in my general feelings of health, although the reason 
given for the withdrawal has commonly been on the ground of 
health. Upon several occasions, however, the reason given was 
that it was withdrawn from me as a reproof for having done that 
which I knew to be wrong. 

I remained in Willimantic but a short time, and then I went 
to Lebanon, a few miles off. There I was received in the family 
of an old resident. After I had been with them a few days, I 
saw a spirit who called himself Uncle Tilden. I asked a lady, 
a member of the family, if she recognized the name, but before 



Incidents in My Life. 157 

she had time to make answer, the spirit made signs to me that 
he did not wish the lady to tell the name and that he would come 
on another occasion to me, when he could have more perfect 
control. In the course of a few days he came whilst I was en- 
tranced and signified that certain papers which his family had 
been seeking for years, and for which they had given up the 
search as hopeless, would be found in a house which he described 
as situate near Cleveland, Ohio. They were the title deeds of 
some land which had become valuable for building purposes, 
and out of which a lady was entitled to her thirds, but which by 
reason of the loss of the deeds, were withheld from her, and she 
was in consequence living in very straitened circumstances. 
He described to them minutely through me the part of the garret 
and the form of the box in which they would be found. Her son 
was written to with these particulars ; the search was made and 
the deeds were found as described. 

The second week of my stay at Lebanon, I had been to pass 
a day or two with an English family residing about three miles 
off. One afternoon I suddenly became unconscious or entranced, 
and on awaking, the lady of the house told me that I had been 
speaking with some spirit, who directed me to proceed at once 

to the house of a Mr. B . I had seen two brothers of this 

name one evening a week previously, and no interchange of visits 
had been made or proposed, and I felt that it would be most 
awkward for me to call on them, saying only that I had been 
sent by my unseen friends. The distance was also six miles 
from where I then was, and three miles of the journey I would 
have to walk. I knew that when I returned to my friends at 
Lebanon I could have their conveyance; but still I had no in- 
clination to pay the visit. As soon as this was fully decided in 
my mind I was again made unconscious, and on recovering I 
was told that I had received strict injunctions to leave at once, 
though no reason was assigned why I should go. I then felt, 
however, that the order ought to be obeyed, and I went to my 
room for the purpose of dressing for the journey. While there, 
my reasoning faculties again assumed the ascendancy, and I 
thought that if I were thus sent I ought at least to know for 
what purpose. However, I soon again felt myself impelled by 



158 Book of Knowledge. 

a force far superior to mine, and which to have even attempted 
to resist would have been folly. On leaving the house, all this 
left me, and I walked the three miles to Lebanon, wondering 
what could be the cause of this singular errand. On arriving, 
I stated to my friends there all that had occurred, and they also 
thought it would have been quite well to have ascertained why 
I had been sent. Finding that they agreed with me in this, I 
now again fully determined to proceed no farther, but I was 
quickly made insensible, and on awaking I found that orders had 
been given by the family to have a horse saddled, and that I was 
admonished in a gentle but firm manner for my want of faith 
and overweening curiosity, whereas I ought, I was told, to have 
followed as a child would its teacher or an indulgent parent. 

Before I left the house to complete the journey, the sun had 
set, and now rain-laden clouds were fast overshadowing the sky. 
The road was lonely, and for the month of April the weather was 
uncommonly chill. I had agreed in my mind that my guardians 
had been teaching me a useful lesson and I resolved that thence- 
forward I would not seek to know their purposes. In this frame 
of mind I reached what I knew from description must be the 

house of Mr. B , and as I was about to dismount the first rain 

drop fell on my ungloved hand and with the contact came the 

most vivid impression that Mr. B 's mother was dangerously 

ill. I rang the bell, and Mr. B having seen me, came him- 
self to open the door. As he did so, I said, " Your mother is ill and 
I have been sent to say what will relieve her." His look of 
intense surprise baffles description, as he said, " How on earth 
could you have known of her illness, as it is only an hour since 
she fell ill, and we have sent in another direction for a medical 
man, but I fear he will not arrive in time to save my poor mother, 
as she seems sinking so rapidly." On entering the house I 
stood waiting to see what impression I might receive. Whilst I 
was standing I was thrown suddenly into a trance, and I was told 

by Mr. B that in that state I led the way to his mother's 

bedroom, and that after making a few passes over her with my 
hands, the acute pains left her, and that in a few minutes' time 
she was in a quiet sleep. Whilst in the trance, I also mentioned 
simple remedies of herbs for immediate use. I was then led by 



Incidents in My Life. 159 

the unseen power into the sitting-room, and there returned to 
my normal state, greatly surprised when these things were related 
to me. The doctor arrived in about an hour, to find his patient 
quite out of danger, and on examining her, he said that from the 
nature and violence of the attack it would in all probability have 
been fatal had steps not been taken at once to alleviate the symp- 
toms. A letter written a few weeks after to a friend by Mr. 

B , says that " his mother has not had such health for eighteen 

years past as she now enjoys; she follows implicitly all the in- 
structions given through Daniel, and the effect is magical." 

I remained in Lebanon till the month of June, having seances 
nearly every day, my mediumship principally consisting of vis- 
ions, movements of the table and furniture without my touching 
them, and of the rapping sounds through which intelligent mes- 
sages were received. While there, in the beginning of June, all 
these external manifestations ceased entirely, and I left Lebanon 

about the middle of June on a visit to Mr. G at Boonton, 

New Jersey. I had still visions frequently of the spirit friends 
of persons who were perfect strangers to me, describing their 
appearance; and the spirits gave me their names and dates of 
their departure from earth, with answers to other questions of a 
test nature which their relatives asked. These came to me whilst 
I was in a normal or trance state, and in which I was unconscious 
of natural surroundings, but with a facility of speech far superior, 
as I was told, to that of my ordinary condition, and through which 
I transmitted with readiness the replies of the spirits to the ques- 
tions asked of them. I was so exceedingly sensitive at this time, 
that the playing of sacred music would frequently throw me into 
a trance state, in which I am always in companionship with spirit 
friends, and that in as perfect and palpable a manner, as in my 
ordinary external state I am with my friends of this world. 
Through these means hundreds of persons became convinced of 
the truth of spiritual communion, and found their skeptical 
tenets no longer available. I then found, as I still find, that all 
honest, deep rooted skepticism rather calls out than prevents the 
proofs of which it stands so much in need; and atheists, deists 
and infidels were thus often brought to a belief in Providence 
and direct spirit guidance. 



160 Book of Knowledge. 

About the middle of July, 185 1, I went to Brooklyn, New 

York, on a visit to Mr. C . While here I had the pleasure 

of first meeting the learned and good George Bush, an eminent 
theologian and Professor of Hebrew and Oriental languages at 
New York. Professor Bush was quite prepared to acknowledge 
the possibility of such phenomena from his acquaintance with the 
writings of Swedenborg, and the spiritual experiences of Jung 
Stilling and others. He was also a profoundly learned man, 
with a more open and child-like mind than often falls to the lot 
of those with so much worldly knowledge. He had made, more- 
over, the greatest sacrifices, by giving up his worldly prospects 
in the church, in avowing his belief in Swedenborg's works. 
Professor Bush took a deep interest in observing the mental 
phenomena which occurred through me, though there were no 
external manifestations. The communications he received were 
of such a nature as to leave no manner of doubt in his mind, as 
to the real presence with us of those who had gone before. 
Amongst other names, he told me that I had given him that of 
an old school-fellow, whom he had forgotten for many years, 
and that this school-fellow referred to a dream which the Pro- 
fessor had had on the very night on which the boy had passed 
from earth, although he was not then aware even of the boy's 
illness. The spirit of the boy now told me the whole of the Pro- 
fessor's dream, which was that whilst they were playing together, 
he suddenly saw his school-fellow taken from him, and heard 
his voice saying, " I leave you, George, but not forever:" A 
dream of forty years previously, was thus brought to his re- 
membrance. The Professor was so strongly impressed with this 
that he called on me the next day, and wished to have me reside 
with him for the purpose of studying for the Swedenborgian 
ministry. I went to the house with the intention of so doing, 
but within forty-eight hours I saw in my waking state the spirit 
of my mother, who said to me, " My son, you must not accept 
this kind offer, as your mission is a more extended one than 
pulpit preaching." On seeing the good Professor, I told him of 
this spirit message. He expressed regret, but no surprise, and 

so I returned to my friend, Mr. C , and remained with him 

till the end of August. I frequently afterwards saw Professor 



Incidents in My Life. 161 

Bush, with whom the most kindly intercourse was interchanged. 
Here again in New York many were convinced. 

I returned to Lebanon, but I was not able to see any strangers 
on account of my very delicate health, and in the month of Sep- 
tember, my young friend, the son of Mrs. E , fell ill, and I 

saw the spirit of his father, whom I had not known on earth, 
though I had frequently seen him, and received communications 
from him both in the trance and waking state, on my former visit 
to Lebanon. He came to me whilst I was alone in my room, and 
standing near me, said, " Ezra will be with me in three weeks ; 

go to him." I was then staying with a Mr. F , about three 

miles from the boy. I obeyed the spirit message, and went at 
once, and found Ezra ill. He wished me to stay with him, but 
the family thought it was a passing illness, and that I might pro- 
long my visit for a few days to Mr. F . I did not tell them 

what I had seen, and in about four days afterwards they sent for 
me to come to them, as Ezra was worse. I went, and with his 
sister I took care of him, till his departure, which occurred on 
the nineteenth day of his illness. He was about eighteen, and had 
become conversant with the facts of spirit intercourse through 
me a few months before, and had himself become a partial 
medium, receiving occasional communications, principally from 
his father, by means of the rapping and the alphabet. Soon after 
my first visiting him in his illness, on his sister leaving the room 
for a moment, he took the opportunity of telling me with perfect 
composure, that he knew he would not recover, as he had been 
told by raps on his pillow, by his father, that this was his last 
illness. This extraordinary composure remained with him 
throughout, and I told the family ten days before my vision, which 
prepared them for the coming change. About two days before 
his leaving us, the doctor asked me to break it to him, when I in- 
formed him that Ezra had been long aware of it. He doubted 
this from seeing him so composed, and I desired him to stand 
at the door and hear what I would say to Ezra. I then went to 
his bed and told him that the doctor had left some news for him. 
He laughingly said, " I suppose it is to tell me that I am going. 
Little does he imagine that I have already decided who my bearers 
are to be." The doctor now came into the room, and taking his 



162 Book of Knowledge. 

hand, said, " My dear boy, if I had not heard this, I could not 
have believed it. You have everything to make life happy, and 
yet you are so willing to leave it." A few hours after this a 
deacon of the church visited him, who was much opposed to 
these things, to the extent even of telling untruths and misrepre- 
sentations. He argued with the dying boy, trying to take away 
his happy belief, but fortunately without the slightest success. 
The boy told him that he willingly placed all his hopes in the 
hands of an all wise God, and that he felt that the change would 
be most happy for him. The last evening of his stay on earth 
several persons came to the house, and I was told by one of 
them that it was for the purpose of watching to see if he did not 
recant or turn coward at the last. I told this to Ezra, and he re- 
quested that they should be brought into his room, where I 
left them for a few hours rest. At half-past one in the morning 
Ezra sent for me, and I found them still there, he having been 
speaking with them a great part of the time. In speaking to his 
mother, he said, " Only think, dear mother, I shan't be lame 
there." He had been lame since he was six months old. He 
asked me to look out of the window and to tell him what kind 
of morning it was. I told him it was bright moonlight, and he 
recalled to me a conversation we had some months previously, 
in which he said he should like to pass away in the moonlight, 
whilst I had said I should like to go at sunset. He expressed 
a wish that no one should wear mourning for him. He asked 
me to take his hand, and whilst I held it, his face suddenly as- 
sumed a beatified expression, and he pronounced my name, as 
if calling me to witness some happy vision passing before his 
eyes, and the breathing ceased. 

This is one of the many happy death-beds which I have wit- 
nessed, and such consolation given at a time like this is sufficient 
proof of the loving wisdom of our Heavenly Father in allowing 
such things to take place. Some may be surprised to find an 
apparent prophecy in this case given both to the boy and to me, 
but perhaps a larger view of spiritual insight may teach us that 
such is only apparent to us in this natural sphere, and that to 
those who have spiritual insight and perceptions, there probably 
was some bodily change in his organism which made clear to 



Incidents in My Life. 163 

those in the spiritual state the mortal character of his disease. 
Since his departure he has been frequently present with me, 
impressing me to write messages to his mother and sister. Some- 
times my hand has been taken possession of apparently by him, 
and used in writing his own autograph. In a letter received 
from his sister dated the 9th of February, 1852, she says, " Ezra 
was with you to a certainty when you were writing, for that is 
his autograph and chirography ; the kindness of the advice almost 
overwhelms me when I think how spirits watch over and com- 
fort us." 

The following is an account taken from a newspaper of other 
manifestations at this time: 

" After several communications had been spelled out, a request 
was made that the table might be moved in order to convince 
some present who were skeptical. Accordingly very soon slight 
movements were perceptible, which soon became very rapid. A 
light was placed upon the floor under the table, and one remained 
on the table. Our hands were raised so that the ends of our 
fingers only touched. One end was then moved up so that it 
was poised on the two opposite legs upon an elevation in the 
floor, and in this position it remained for awhile, keeping time 
with music by rocking; and in the same way questions were 
answered, three movements being considered an affirmative and 
one a negative; and after numerous questions were given and as 
many satisfactory answers received, three gentle raps were heard 
at the door by a part of the company, and the question was asked 
if any one was rapping at the door? and immediately three de- 
cided movements of the table were made, and accompanying them 
were three more decided raps at the door. 

" An emphatic call for the alphabet followed, and spelled out, 
' Spirits — Door ; ' the question was asked if there were spirits at 
the door who wished to come in? Three raps. 

" It was suggested that they were to help in moving the table, 
and an affirmative reply immediately followed. Then commenced 
larger and more decided movements — the table being slid freely 
about the floor, and raised alternately one side and then the other 
several inches; and at one time it was raised nearly to an angle 
of forty-five degrees, poised on two side legs, and then by oscil- 



164 Book of Knowledge. 

lating movements the time was correctly kept to several tunes 
sung by the company. 

" Several unsuccessful attempts were made to bring the table 
to the floor, which were relinquished for the fear of breaking the 
leaves. By request it was carefully let down on one side, and in 
a moment raised again to its proper position. One of the com- 
pany then seated himself upon the table, and it was moved about 
and raised up so as to render it necessary for him to hold on, 
and this, too, with as much ease apparently as before. Again, by 
request, it was slid while one was pushing against it in an op- 
posite direction to the uttermost of his strength." 

I remained in Lebanon up to the end of January, 1852; the 
physical manifestations having spontaneously returned in October 
previously, and with increased power, and with the new phase 
of unseen hands touching me and others with whom I was sitting. 
We frequently were touched by them, and on some occasions a 
spirit hand was placed within our hands as palpably as if it 
were a real living hand, though invisible to us. It would remain 
quietly in our hands until we tried to close them upon it, and even 
then it was not withdrawn, but, as it were, melted away in our 
grasp. 

I went to Springfield, Massachusetts, an entire stranger, but 
having heard of Mr. Henry Gordon, a medium there, I asked for 
and was directed to his house. He received me most kindly, and 
said that he was about to have a seance that evening, requesting 
me to join them. I did so, but the contending influences pre- 
vented the occurrence of manifestations. Those who were there 
assembled had to leave at an early hour, and Mr. Gordon ac- 
companied them, leaving me with five or six friends who had 
come in the mean time. Among these were Mr. and Mrs. Elmer, 
the former being a believer, but Mrs. Elmer having violently 
opposed it. I was thrown into a trance, made to sit near her, 
telling her the names of her mother, father, brothers and sisters ; 
then of her children, all of whom were in the spirit world; and 
I repeated to her the last words of two of her children. Turning 
to an older lady in the room, I did the same and so on through all 
those who were present. Mr. and Mrs. Elmer have since been 
my friends, and at their house some most remarkable manifesta- 



Incidents in My Life. 165 

tions occurred. I stayed with them for some time, and great in- 
terest was excited by the accounts given by the very numerous 
witnesses who came to see the manifestations. Whilst here the 
power was very strong, and frequently I had seances six or seven 
times a day, at each of which as many were present as could be 
accommodated. Their house was besieged by visitors, and often 
outside in the street there was a concourse of anxious inquirers. 
People came from a distance, even from the extreme west and 
south of America, having seen the accounts given of me in the 
newspapers of the previous year. It was here that one of the 
professors of the University of Harvard came and joined some 
friends in a rigid investigation of the phenomena, and after 
several sittings they published the following statement of the 
result of their investigations. 



THE MODERN WONDER— A MANIFESTO. 

The undersigned, from a sense of justice to the parties re- 
ferred to, very cordially bear testimony to the occurrence of the 
following facts, which we severally witnessed at the house of 
Rufus Elmer, in Springfield, on the evening of the 5th inst. : — ■ 

1. The table was moved in every possible direction, and with 
great force, when we could not perceive any cause of motion. 

2. It (the table) was forced against each one of us so power- 
fully as to move us from our positions — together with the chairs 
we occupied — in all, several feet. 

3. Mr. Wells and Mr. Edwards took hold of the table in 
such a manner as to exert their strength to the best advantage, 
but found the invisible power, exercised in an opposite direction, 
to be quite equal to their utmost efforts. 

4. In two instances, at least, while the hands of all the mem- 
bers of the circle were placed on the top of the table — and while 
no visible power was employed to raise the table, or otherwise 
to move it from its position — it was seen to rise clear of the floor, 
and to float in the atmosphere for several seconds, as if sustained 
by some denser medium than air. 

5. Mr. Wells seated himself on the table, which was rocked 



1 66 Book of Knowledge. 

for some time with great violence, and at length, it poised itself 
on the two legs, and remained in this position for some thirty 
seconds, when no other person was in contact with it. 

6. Three persons — Messrs. Wells, Bliss, and Edwards — as- 
sumed positions on the table at the same time, and while thus 
seated, the table was moved in various directions. 

7. Occasionally we were made conscious of the occurrence of 
a powerful shock, which produced a vibratory motion of the floor 
of the apartment in which we were seated — it seemed like the 
motion occasioned by distant thunder or the firing of ordnance 
far away — causing the table, chairs, and other inanimate objects, 
and all of us to tremble in such a manner that the effects were 
both seen and felt. 

8. In the whole exhibition, which was far more diversified 
than the foregoing specification would indicate, we were con- 
strained to admit that there was an almost constant manifestation 
of some intelligence which seemed, at least, to be independent of 
the circle. 

9. In conclusion, we may observe, that Mr. D. D. Home fre- 
quently urged us to hold his hands and feet. During these occur- 
rences the room was well lighted, the lamp was frequently placed 
on and under the table, and every possible opportunity was 
afforded us for the closest inspection, and we admit this one em- 
phatic declaration: We know that we were not imposed upon 
nor deceived. 

Wm. Bryant, 
B. K. Bliss, 
Wm. Edwards, 
David A. Wells. 

The following account also is given in the Shekinah of 
1852, of manifestations occurring at this time, which will show 
the power which they had then acquired. 

" On the 28th day of February, 1852, while the undersigned 
were assembled at the residence of Mr. Rufus Elmer, Spring- 
field, Mass., for the purpose of making critical experiments in 
the so-called spiritual manifestations, the following, among other 
remarkable demonstrations of power, occurred in a room thor- 



Incidents in My Life. 167 

oughly illuminated. The table, around which we were seated, 
was moved by an invisible and unknown agency, with such irre- 
sistible force that no one in the circle could hold it. Two men — 
standing on opposite sides and grasping it at the same time, and 
in such a manner as to have the greatest possible advantage — 
could not, by the utmost exercise of their powers, restrain its 
motion. In spite of their exertions, the table was moved from 
one of three feet. Mr. Elmer inquired if the spirits could dis- 
engage or relax the hold of Mr. Henry Foulds; when suddenly, 
and in a manner wholly unaccountable by us, Mr. Foulds was 
seated on the floor at a distance of several feet from the table, 
having been moved so gently, and yet so instantaneously, as 
scarcely to be conscious of the fact. It was proposed to further 
test this invisible power, and accordingly five men, whose united 
weight was eight hundred and fifty-five pounds, stood on a table 
(without castors), and the table, while the men were so situated, 
was repeatedly moved a distance of from four to eight inches. 
The undersigned further say that they were not conscious of 
exerting any power of will at the time, or during any part of the 
exhibition; on the contrary, they are quite sure that the exercise 
of the will is a serious impediment to such manifestations. 

" At the close of these experiments it was perceived, on lifting 
one end of the table, that its weight would increase or diminish, 
in accordance with our request. Apprehending that the supposed 
difference might be justly attributable to fancy, or to some un- 
conscious variation in the manner of applying the motive power, 
it was proposed to settle the question by weighing the table. At 
the first experiment it required a force equal to nineteen pounds 
to raise the end of the table. This was fairly tested to the en- 
tire satisfaction of all present. The spirits were then requested 
to apply the invisible power. The balance was now applied in 
precisely the same manner as before, when the weight was found 
to have been suddenly increased from six to twelve pounds, vary- 
ing as the mysterious force was increased and diminished, so 
that it now required a force of from twenty-five to thirty-one 
pounds to separate the legs of the table from the floor. Mr. 
Daniel D. Home was the medium on this occasion, and it is 
worthy to remark that during the performance of the last ex- 



1 68 Book of Knowledge. 

periment he was out of the room and in the second story of 
the house, while the experiment was conducted in the back par- 
lor below. 

" The undersigned are ready and willing, if required, to make 
oath to the entire correctness of the foregoing statement." 

The original paper was signed by John D. Lord, Rufus 
Elmer, and nine others, living at Springfield, Mass. 

The account proceeds : " Lights are produced in dark rooms. 
Sometimes there appears a gradual illumination, sufficient to dis- 
close very minute objects, and at others a tremulous phosphores- 
cent light gleams over the walls, and odic emanations proceed 
from human bodies, or shoot meteor-like through the apartment. 
These phenomena are of frequent occurrence, and are not ac- 
counted for by any material hypothesis, unless, indeed, they could 
be comprehended under the popular generalization which ascribes 
the whole to human fraud and delusion. I have seen these lights 
in all their variety. On one occasion, when a number of friends 
were assembled at my house, there occurred a gradual illumina- 
tion of the apartment. It appeared like the twilight half an hour 
after the dawn. The light continued to increase for about fifteen 
minutes, and then it gradually diminished. 

" On the 30th of March I chanced to be one of the company 
convened at the house of Mr. Elmer, in Springfield, Mass., Mr. 
Home being present, when the room was darkened, to see if the 
mysterious illumination would occur. Immediately the gross 
darkness began to be dissipated, and in a few minutes the forms 
of all the persons in the room were distinctly visible. Without 
disclosing her purpose to any one, Mrs. Elmer mentally requested 
that the spirits would restore the darkness, and almost instantly 
the change was perceived by the whole company, and soon every 
form was lost in the deepening gloom." 

This was the first appearance of these spirit lights that I 
had seen when others were present, though I had several times 
seen them when by myself, since their appearance on my first 
vision of Edwin as before described. 



CHAPTER VII 
WAS LINCOLN A SPIRITUALIST? 

(FROM THE BOOK BY MRS. NETTIE MAYNARD.) 

About half-past eight o'clock on the evening of this day I 
was lying exhausted on the sofa when a carriage halted at the 
door. Mr. Laurie entered hurriedly, asking if the " children " 
had gone (Parnie and myself). Mr. Foster explained that we 
were still there, and the reason therefor. Mr. Laurie seemed 
delighted that we had been delayed, and came at once to my 
side and kindly said, " Get ready at once and go to my house 
with me, and I think we can remedy the loss of this furlough/' 
It was a ray of light in dense darkness. Without saying a word 
I hastily prepared myself and was surprised to find a most 
elegant carriage at the door to receive us. Its crimson satin 
cushions should have told me whose carriage it was ; but my 
mind was so fraught with my trouble that I barely noticed the 
fact that a footman in plain livery opened the door for us, and 
we were soon on our way to Georgetown. On my arrival I 
was astonished at first to be presented to Mrs. Lincoln, the wife 
of President Lincoln, then to Mr. Newton, Secretary of the In- 
terior Department, and the Rev. John Pierpont, at that time 
one of the chief clerks in the Treasury Building. The Hon. D. 
E. Somes was also present. Mrs. Lincoln informed me that 
she had heard of the wonderful powers of Mrs. Miller, Air. 
Laurie's daughter, and had called to witness the physical mani- 
festations through her mediumship. She had expressed a desire 
to see a trance medium, when they had told her of myself, fear- 
ing that I was already on my way to Boston with my brother, 
as I expected to leave that evening. She had said at once, 
" Perhaps they have not gone ; suppose you take the carriage 
and ascertain." Mr. Laurie went and found me, as I have 
stated, prostrated from my long anxiety and trouble. But for 



170 Book of Knowledge. 

the loss of that furlough this meeting zvould not have taken place. 
Mrs. Lincoln noticed my swollen eyes and inflamed cheeks, and 
kindly inquired the cause. Mr. Laurie briefly explained. She 
quickly reassured me, saying, " Don't worry any more about it. 
Your brother shall have another furlough if Mr. Lincoln has 
to give it himself." Feeling once more happy and strong, I 
was in a condition to quiet my nerves long enough to enable 
my spirit friends to control me. Some new and powerful in- 
fluence obtained possession of my organism and addressed Mrs. 
Lincoln, it seemed, with great clearness and force, upon matters 
of state. For one hour I was under this control. When I 
awoke there was a most earnest and excited group around me, 
discussing what had been said, and Mrs. Lincoln exclaimed with 
great earnestness, " This young lady must not leave Washing- 
ton. I feel she must stay here, and Mr. Lincoln must hear what 
we have heard. It is all-important, and he must hear it." This 
seemed to be the general impression. Turning to me she said, 
" Don't think of leaving Washington, I beg of you. Can you 
not remain with us ? " I briefly explained that my livelihood 
depended on my efforts as a speaker, and that there was no 
opening in Washington of that kind for me. " But," said she, 
" there are other things you can do. Surely young ladies get 
excellent pay in the different departments, and you can have a 
position in one of them, I am sure. Turning to Mr. Newton, 
who sat at her right, she said, " You employ ladies, do you not, 
Mr. Newton ; and you can give this young lady a place in your 
department ? " He bowed, all smiles, saying, " I have only very 
old ladies or young children in my department ; but I can give 
this young lady a position if it pleases you." She turned to me 
then in her sprightly manner, as if the whole thing was settled, 
and exclaimed, " You will stay then, will you not ? " I said I 
would consult my friends and see what was best. But she said, 
" You surely will not go until Mr. Lincoln has had a chance to 
see you? " I replied I would not if he had a desire to see me. 
She then turned to Mrs. Laurie and said, " Now to-morrow you 
go with this young lady to Mr. Tucker ; tell him you go by my 
direction, and just how the case stands. Tell him he must 
arrange it to have her brother secure another furlough." Soon 



Was Lincoln a Spiritualist f 171 

after she left and Mr. Somes kindly escorted me back to Mr. 
Foster's. 

The next morning Mrs. Laurie came for me and we went to 
the office of the Assistant Secretary of War. I hid as closely 
as possible behind the stately person of Mrs. Laurie ; but my 
old friend saw me and came forward to inquire how I was, and 
if all was well with my brother. I could only shake my head 
and sink into a chair, leaving Mrs. Laurie to explain matters. 
He listened patiently, and came to me and said in the kindliest 
manner, " You seem to have been delayed for some important 
purpose, my young friend, so I would not be over-troubled 
about it. You get any commissioned or United States surgeon 
to examine your brother again, and if he affirms he is still un- 
fit for service in the field or camp I will issue a new furlough if 
you bring me the paper." With a light heart I could only thank 
him; and that afternoon my brother and myself went to Mr. 
Laurie's, and in a few hours a United States surgeon from the 
Georgetown Hospital made the requisite examination and rec- 
ommended him a furlough. The next morning I carried it to Mr. 
Tucker and a furlough was reissued by the War Department — 
this time for thirty days' leave of absence. With a light heart 
I went to my brother with the paper ; and that night Mr. Laurie, 
on his return from the Post Office Department, placed in my 
hand an envelope, which, I was surprised to find, contained one 
hundred dollars in greenbacks, and a slip of paper on which 
was written, "From a few friends who appreciate a sister's devo- 
tion." No name anywhere to tell who were the generous 
donors ; and I know not to this day whence came this most wel- 
come tribute. 

The friends I had made in Washington were determined I 
should not leave that city, and it was decided that my brother 
should take my mother back to Hartford with him, with all 
her household effects ; that I should resign my position in Al- 
bany, and that my friend, Miss Hannum, should join me in 
Washington. This programme was carried out. 

The day following my brother's departure for home a note 
was received by Mrs. Laurie, asking her to come to the White 
House in the evening with her family, and to bring Miss Nettie 



172 Book of Knowledge. 

with her. I felt all the natural trepidation of a young girl about 
to enter the presence of the highest magistrate in our land; 
being fully impressed with the dignity of his office, and feeling 
that I was about to meet some superior being ; and it was almost 
with trembling that I entered with my friends the Red Parlor 
of the White House at eight o'clock that evening (December, 
1862). 

Mrs. Lincoln received us graciously, and introduced us to a 
gentleman and lady present whose names I have forgotten. 
Mr. Lincoln was not then present. While all were conversing 
pleasantly on general subjects, Mrs. Miller (Mr. Laurie's 
daughter) seated herself, under control, at the double grand 
piano at one side of the room, seemingly awaiting some one. 
Mrs. Lincoln was talking with us in a pleasant strain when sud- 
denly Mrs. Miller's hands fell upon the keys with a force that 
betokened a master hand, and the strains of a grand march filled 
the room. As the measured notes rose and fell we became 
silent. The heavy end of the piano began rising and falling in 
perfect time to the music. All at once it ceased, and Mr. Lin- 
coln stood upon the threshold of the door. (He afterwards in- 
formed us that the first notes of the music fell upon his ear 
as he reached the grand staircase to descend, and that he kept 
step to the music until he reached the doorway.) Mr. and Mrs. 
Laurie and Mrs. Miller were duly presented. Then I was led 
forward and introduced. He stood before me tall and kindly, 
with a smile upon his face. Dropping his hand upon my head, 
he said, in a humorous tone, " So this is our ' little Nettie/ is it, 
that we have heard so much about ? " I could only smile and 
say, " Yes, sir," like any schoolgirl ; when he kindly led me to an 
ottoman. Sitting down on a chair, the ottoman at his feet, 
he began asking me questions in a kindly way about my 
mediumship; and I think he must have thought me stupid, as 
my answers were little beyond a " Yes," and " No." His man- 
ner was however genial and kind, and it was then suggested we 
form a circle. He said, " Well, how do you do it? " looking at 
me. Mr. Laurie came to the rescue and said we had been ac- 
customed to sit in a circle and join hands ; but he did not think 
it would be necessary in this instance. While he was yet speak- 



Was Lincoln a Spiritualist f 173 

ing I lost all consciousness of my surroundings, and passed 
under control. For more than an hour I was made to talk to 
him, and I learned from my friends afterward that it was upon 
matters that he seemed to fully understand, while they compre- 
hended very little until that portion was reached that related 
to the forthcoming Emancipation Proclamation. He was 
charged with the utmost solemnity and force of manner not 
to abate the terms of its issue, and not to delay its enforcement 
as a law beyond the opening of the year; and he was assured 
that it was to be the crowning event of his administration and 
his life; and that while he was being counseled by strong parties 
to defer the enforcement of it, hoping to supplant it by other 
measures and to delay action, he must in no wise heed such 
counsel, but stand firm to his convictions and fearlessly perform 
the work and fulfil the mission for which he had been raised 
up by an over-ruling Providence. Those present declared that 
they lost sight of the timid girl in the majesty of the utterance, 
the strength and force of the language, and the importance of 
that which was conveyed, and seemed to realize that some 
strong masculine spirit force was giving speech to almost divine 
commands. 

I shall never forget the scene around me when I regained 
consciousness. I was standing in front of Mr. Lincoln and he 
was sitting back in his chair, with his arms folded upon his 
breast, looking intently at me. I stepped back, naturally con- 
fused at the situation — not remembering at once where I was — 
and glancing around the group where perfect silence reigned. 
It took me a moment to remember my whereabouts. 

A gentleman present then said in a low tone, " Mr. Lincoln, 
did you not notice anything peculiar in the method of address ? " 
Mr. Lincoln raised himself as if shaking off his spell. He 
glanced quickly at the full length portrait of Daniel Webster 
that hung above the piano and replied, " Yes, and it is very sin- 
gular, very ! " with a marked emphasis. 

Mr. Somes said : " Mr. President, would it be improper for 
me to inquire whether there has been any pressure brought to 
bear upon you to defer the enforcement of the Proclamation?" 
To which the President replied: "Under these circumstances, 



174 Book of Knowledge. 

that question is perfectly proper, as we are all friends (smiling 
upon the company). It is taking all my nerve and strength to 
withstand such a pressure." At this point the gentlemen drew 
around him and spoke together in low tones, Mr. Lincoln saying 
least of all. At last he turned to me, and laying his hand upon 
my head, uttered these words in a manner that I shall never 
forget : " My child, you possess a very singular gift ; but that it 
is of God I have no doubt. I thank you for coming here to- 
night. It is more important than perhaps any one present can 
understand. I must leave you all now; but I hope I shall see 
you again." He shook me kindly by the hand, bowed to the 
rest of the company and was gone. We remained an hour 
longer talking with Mrs. Lincoln and her friends, and then 
returned to Georgetown. Such was my first interview with 
Abraham Lincoln, and the memory of it is as clear and vivid as 
the evening on which it occurred. 



I looked up and did not need to know by any one telling 
me who he was. Lincoln stood at the open window. 

He was looking down, yet seeing nothing. His eyes were 
turned inward. He was thinking of the great work and duty 
that lay upon his soul. I think I never saw so sad a face in 
my life, and I have looked into many a mourner's face. I have 
been among bereaved families, orphan children, widows, and 
strong men whose hearts have been broken by the taking away 
of their own ; but I never saw the depth of sorrow which seemed 
to rest upon that gaunt but expressive countenance. Yet there 
was a light in those deep sunk eyes that showed the man that 
was before me as perhaps the best Christian the world ever 
saw, for he wore the world upon his heart. That man was 
bearing the country of his birth and love upon his naked soul. 
It was just one look, but I have never forgotten it, and through 
the dimness of all these years that great and patient man looks 
down upon me to teach me how to bear, and how to do, how to 
hope and how to give myself for my fellowmen. 

Lincoln was a noble representative of free institutions. He 
stood as a representative of that liberty which had been won by 



Was Lincoln a Spiritualist? 175 

the swords of the Revolution, which had been organized by 
the early settlers of the Republic, and which has been adorned 
by many years of growth until the present day. The Revolu- 
tion had passed before Lincoln's day; but he was a typical 
representative of the freedom of heart and soul and life which 
ought to be the most priceless inheritance of every American 
citizen. I think this was evinced in his whole course and con- 
duct. He was surrounded by able men. 

The sword and the pen both had their heroes ; but before this 
man every one chose to pause, and his choice was always the 
wisest of all. I do not know what Lincoln would have done 
without support; but through all troubles the individuality of 
that one man, his unflinching courage, his broad sympathy and 
charity, his homely common sense, his indomitable rectitude 
and unshaken faith ran like a pulse of fire, a thread of gold. 

You may speak of the arch of honor which spans those years 
of struggle. You may write the names of great generals, ad- 
mirals, statesmen, Senators and Governors upon separate 
stones. But on that one stone which bound them together, 
without which the arch would have fallen into ruin and con- 
fusion, you must write Lincoln's name. 

I mention a third thing for which Lincoln was great. We 
have had great men who were as cold as the marble in which 
their statues have been cast. We have had men who have had 
no more warm blood in their hearts than the bronze tablets 
upon their tombs. We have had great statesmen, great war- 
riors, great philosophers, great men of letters, all of them cold 
as icebergs, with no popular sympathies, no real tenderness, no 
heart beneath their garments. 

We have had men placed as Lincoln was, who had calmly 
written out his same gigantic campaign and could accept death, 
peril, or disgrace, as well as honor, in the same calm impas- 
sibility with which you might move the knight or the bishop 
from one square on the chessboard to another. We have had 
men who left behind them mighty names, and not one child 
sobbed when they were gone. But not a dry eye appeared amid 
thousands of children when the splendid heroic Lincoln, with his 
wisdom, sagacity and patriotism, was taken away. He carried 



176 Book of Knowledge. 

a tender heart, the heart of a little child, the heart of a woman 
who has given her promise to the man she loves. 

Back of that rough angular form and seemingly uncouth 
demeanor there lay a heart as white as snow, and so dropping 
with the love of humanity that, if I were to take out of one of 
those Christian centuries the heart of the one whom I believed 
to be the most loving, the most tender, I would take it from the 
breast of Abraham Lincoln. 

What soldier in his standing army, bleeding and with dusty 
feet, could enter the chamber of any other ruler in this world 
and plead his cause as to a friend? What woman, tearful be- 
cause her son was in peril when a stroke of the President's hand 
would set him free, could anywhere else force her way to him 
through lines of Senators, and then receive consolation? What 
man within the memory of men has ruled without jealousy and 
fanaticism, and to whom every man in the land could turn in 
thought, in hope, in prayer, as to a patient or never-failing 
friend? Was there ever a leader of the American people who 
got so near the heart of his generation as did Abraham Lincoln? 
And perhaps with all his greatness, this is one of his greatest 
charms to immortal memory. The warrior dies; the honored 
philosopher fades away with the changes of time ; the scientific 
man is blotted out by the record of successive thought; the 
poet's sweetest lays may be folded away like a garment to put 
some newer or better one in its place ; but the love of the human 
heart is the one enduring thing in this world of ours, and where 
all these things will pass away, the man who is a lover of his 
country, who is a lover of his native land, is the man whose im- 
mortality is best secured, and that man was Abraham Lincoln. 

I can say nothing in this brief review of his great work, the 
emancipation of the slave, except to say that that patience, wis- 
dom, and infallible instinct as to the right time of doing any- 
thing is illustrated in this, perhaps, as in no other single incident 
of his great career. And when I come to one effort it seems 
to me I wanted to lay my fingers on my lips and never speak 
another word. When he climbed that height at Gettysburg, 
and stood on the scene of the terrible conflict, on that ground 
made sacred with the bodies of our patriot soldiers, the elo- 



Was Lincoln a Spiritualist ? 177 

quence of his lips, the impressiveness of his mien, and the words 
uttered by his heart through his tongue, made that oration 
which, in the history of American eloquence, was the greatest 
effort of the noblest American, upon the noblest occasion in the 
history of mankind. 

In the old days every cathedral had its chime of bells. A 
new bell had to be cast, and it had to be strung up far into 
the tower to exorcise the demons and call the people to morn- 
ing worship. The bell was in process of casting in the mould, 
and there were joy and gladness. Priests brought the crucibles 
and bronze articles to the mould, and the molten metal began to 
make its way toward the great hole in which the cast was being 
prepared. Suddenly the great gathering was swayed with some 
sudden emotion. There was a danger of the failure of the cast 
through insufficient metal. The cry was, " What shall be 
done ? " It was soon decided. Everyone gave something, 
some article of value to cast into the seething pot. Women tore 
off their bracelets. Others ran and brought silver vessels ; 
priests brought the appurtenances of the sanctuary and flung 
them into the seething, boiling furnace ; and at last there was 
sufficient. It cooled and was swung into the tower, and there 
never was a sweeter-toned bell in all the world, and the sacri- 
fices which had been made in flinging the treasure into the bell 
made its notes those of silver and gold as they rang out in the 
sweet morning air. The old bell that proclaimed liberty in 
Philadelphia is a useless bell to-day. We have done the casting 
all these years of that bell of liberty which is to be rung in the 
ages to come, high up above the people, and the sound of the 
nations and the war and the peace of the world. 

We hope and pause when the golden bell is rung, and we 
seem to hear its silver chiming as it calls to prayer. We hear 
its deeper notes when it warns us with its significant alarm and 
joyous clang that it is positively above us. How sweet is that 
bell of liberty ! Let us not forget that what makes it sweet is 
because men have cast sacrifices for the golden hope of man- 
hood and life. Let us not forget that if it rings so sweetly and 
is to ring forever in the name of liberty, some of that sweetness 
comes from Abraham Lincoln; for when that bell was in the 



178 Book of Knowledge. 

molten furnace of war and the crucible of trial, there was cast 
into it the pure gold of his manly life. 

Rev. E. C. Bolles, at Lafayette Camp. 



A TEST SEANCE. 

{From Chapter XVII.) 

There was another meeting with Mr. Lincoln which is inter- 
esting and of considerable value. Shortly after my return to 
Washington, and while visiting Major Chorpenning one even- 
ing, Mr. Somes called. After an exchange of compliments, he 
stated that he had been requested to attend a seance, and as the 
same was of a private character, he was not at liberty to say 
more. We all suspected the truth, however, and I instantly 
made ready to join him. After entering the carriage provided 
for the occasion, he informed us that our destination was the 
White House, explaining that while at the War Department 
that afternoon he had met Mr. Lincoln coming from Secretary 
Stanton's office. Mr. Somes bowed to the President, and was 
passing onward when Mr. Lincoln stopped him, asking whether 
Miss Colburn was still in the city, and if so whether it were 
possible to have her visit the White House that evening. Upon 
the reply in the affirmative to both questions, Mr. Lincoln re- 
marked, " Please bring her to the White House at eight or 
nine o'clock, but consider the matter confidential." By the time 
Mr. Somes had completed his recital we were at the door of 
that historic mansion, and a servant who was evidently on the 
watch for us quickly opened the door, and we hurried upstairs 
to the executive chamber where Mr. Lincoln and two gentle- 
men were awaiting our coming. Mr. Lincoln gave an order to 
the servant and in a moment Mrs. Lincoln entered. I am 
satisfied from what followed that she was summoned on my 
account to place me more at ease than otherwise, under the cir- 
cumstances, would have been the case. Mr. Lincoln then 
quietly stated that he wished me to give them an opportunity 
to witness something of my " rare gift," as he called it, adding, 
" You need not be afraid, as these friends have seen something 



i 



Was Lincoln a Spiritualist? 179 

of this before." The two gentlemen referred to were evidently 
military officers, as was indicated by the stripe upon their panta- 
loons, although their frock coats, buttoned to the chin, effectu- 
ally concealed any insignia or mark of rank. One of these 
gentlemen was quite tall and heavily built, with auburn hair 
and dark eyes, side whiskers, and of decidedly military bearing. 
The other gentleman was of average height, and I somehow 
received the impression that he was lower in rank than his 
companion. He had light brown hair and blue eyes, was quick 
in manner, but deferential towards his friend, whose confirma- 
tion he involuntarily sought or indicated by his look of half 
appeal while the conversation went on. 

We sat quiet for a few minutes before I became entranced. 
One hour later I became conscious of my surroundings, and 
was standing by a long table, upon which was a large map of 
the Southern States. In my hand was a lead pencil, and the 
tall man with Mr. Lincoln was standing beside me and bending 
over the map, while the younger man was standing on the other 
side of the table, looking curiously and intently at me. Some- 
what embarrassed, I glanced around to note Mrs. Lincoln 
quietly conversing in another part of the room. The only re- 
marks I heard were these : " It is astonishing," said Mr. Lin- 
coln, " how every line she has drawn conforms to the plan 
agreed upon." " Yes," answered the older soldier, " it is very 
astonishing." Looking up they both saw that I was awake, 
and they instantly stepped back, while Mr. Lincoln took the 
pencil from my hand and placed a chair for me. 

Then Madam and Mr. Somes at once joined us, Mr. Somes 
asking, "Well, was everything satisfactory? " "Perfectly," 
responded Mr. Lincoln. " Miss Nettie does not seem to require 
eyes to do anything," smiling pleasantly. The conversation 
then turned, designedly, I felt, to commonplace matters. 

Shortly afterwards, when about leaving, Mr. Lincoln said to 
us in a low voice, " It is best not to mention this meeting at 
present." Assuring him of silence upon the question, we were 
soon again on our way to the Major's. 

Mr. Somes informed me that he heard enough in the open- 
ing remarks of the spirit to convince him that the power con- 



180 Book of Knowledge. 

trolling knew why I had been summoned. He said that I walked 
to the table unaided and requested that a pencil be handed me, 
after which the President requested Mr. Somes and Mrs. Lin- 
coln to remain where they were at the end of the room. " In 
accordance with this request," said Mr. Somes, " we paid no 
attention to what was being said or done further than to notice 
you tracing lines upon the map, and once one of the gentlemen 
resharpened the pencil for you." I never knew the purport of 
this meeting, nor can I say that Mr. Somes heard more of this 
strange affair. That it was important may be supposed, for 
those were not days for the indulgence of idle curiosity in any 
direction, nor was Mr. Lincoln a man to waste his time in giving 
exhibitions in occult science for the amusement of his friends. 
The impressions left upon my mind could not be otherwise than 
gratifying, in finding myself the recipient of such unusual atten- 
tions, and, for the occasion, the central figure in what appeared 
to be a mysterious and momentous consultation. Had it been 
simply an experiment to test my mediumship, Mr. Somes and 
Mrs. Lincoln would have been included in the group that 
gathered around the table. Should the two stranger partici- 
pants in that seance be now living, and by any chance these lines 
should be read by them, they will readily recall the scene, and 
fully recognize the incident from the remarks that were uttered 
at the time. I am confident that my services were appreciated, 
and that the spiritual guidance which found utterance through 
my lips was confirmatory of the plans which they had already 
prepared. As in this instance, so in many others, has this 
powerful aid been called upon and used to advantage, to further 
important and national interests, and accomplish results that 
simple human knowledge could not achieve. 

Mr. Lincoln's fancy for poetry and song inclined towards 
those melodies which appealed to his emotional nature, as is 
illustrated by his keen appreciation of Mrs. Laurie's " Bonnie 
Doon," and his favorite poem, " Why Should the Spirit of Mor- 
tal be Proud ? " I remember hearing him refer to the touching 
poem upon an occasion of peculiar interest, at which time he 
recited a part of it, applying the verses to the occasion in a very 
pleasant and happy manner. This incident is worthy of appear- 
ing in print : 



Was Lincoln a Spiritualist? 181 

One morning in January, 1863, Mrs. Laurie desired me to 
go to the White House and inquire after Mrs. Lincoln's health. 
Mrs. Laurie had visited Mrs. Lincoln the previous day and 
found her prostrated by one of her severe headaches. It was 
about eleven o'clock when I called. Upon sending up my name 
and inquiry to Mrs. Lincoln, I was requested to walk upstairs to 
her room, where I found Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln, a gentleman 
and two ladies. I was cordially received by Mr. and Mrs. Lin- 
coln and presented to the guests, whose names were not men- 
tioned, and when I noticed their glances I knew that they had 
been told / was a " medium." After explaining my errand and 
being about to withdraw, Mrs. Lincoln asked whether I felt 
equal to the task of a seance. Noticing that all were expectant, 
I signified my willingness and reseated myself. 

After Mrs. Lincoln had assisted me to remove my wraps 
she requested that the friends present do the same. They de- 
clined, whereupon the gentleman, who was their escort, laugh- 
ingly remarked, as he indicated the lady nearest him, " It is use- 
less to urge Anna, Mrs. Lincoln, for she thinks she looks better 
in her new bonnet." To which Anna replied, " That she be- 
lieved she did, and felt very proud of it." Mr. Lincoln who was 
seated, raised his hands with a comical gesture, and quoted a 
part of his favorite poem, " Why Should the Spirit of Mortal 
be Proud?" The gentleman said, " You are familiar with that 
poem." To which the President replied, " Perfectly ; it is a 
favorite of mine ; and, let me ask, what could be finer in expres- 
sion than the lines: 

" ' The maid on whose cheek, on whose brow, in whose eye, 
Shone beauty and pleasure — her triumphs are by; 
And the memory of those who loved her and praised, 
Are alike from the minds of the living erased.' " * 

At that point I became unconscious, and awoke a half hour 
later to find the company betraying much emotion, and while 
recovering myself they talked together in low tones and in an 

* The reader will note the especial appropriateness of the poetical sally on the 
part of Mr. Lincoln. 



1 82 Book of Knowledge. 

animated manner. This was interrupted by Mr. Lincoln rous- 
ing himself with an effort, saying, " I must go, and am afraid I 
have already stayed too long." Shaking hands with his visitors, 
he turned in his kind way to me, and warmly shaking my hand, 
said, " I thank you, Miss Nettie, for obliging us ; we have 
deeply enjoyed our little circle." As he left the room the others 
expressed the same sentiment; and as I was preparing to don 
my bonnet and shawl, Mrs. Lincoln requested me to wait. She 
rang the bell for the servant, who soon after returned with two 
beautiful bouquets, one of which she said was for Mrs. Laurie, 
the other for myself. The party then shook hands with me, 
rising as they did so. I was treated by them with the same 
courtesy as would have been offered any friend or old acquaint- 
ance. The following poem is the entire text of the part quoted 
by Mr. Lincoln on that occasion : 



OH! WHY SHOULD THE SPIRIT OF MORTAL BE 

PROUD? 

Oh! why should the spirit of mortal be proud? 
Like a swift fleeting meteor, a fast-flying cloud, 
A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave, 
He passeth from life to his rest in the grave. 

The leaves of the oak and the willow shall fade, 

Be scattered around and together be laid ; 

And the young and the old, and the low and the high, 

Shall moulder to dust and together shall lie. 

The infant a mother attended and loved; 
The mother that infant's affection who proved ; 
The husband, that mother and infant who blest, — 
Each, all, are away to their dwellings of rest. 

The maid on whose cheek, on whose brow, in whose eye, 
Shone beauty and pleasure, her triumphs are by; 
And the memory of those who loved her and praised, 
Are alike from the minds of the living erased. 



Was Lincoln a Spiritualist? 183 

The hand of the king that the sceptre hath borne, 
The brow of the priest that the mitre hath worn, 
The eye of the sage, and the heart of the brave, 
Are hidden and lost in the depths of the grave. 

The peasant, whose lot was to sow and to reap, 
The herdsman, who climbed with his goats up the steep, 
The beggar, who wandered in search of his bread, 
Have faded away like the grass that we tread. 

The saint, who enjoyed the communion of heaven, 
The sinner, who dared to remain unforgiven, 
The wise and the foolish, the guilty and just, 
Have quietly mingled their bones in the dust. 

So the multitude goes — like the flower or the weed 
That withers away to let others succeed ; 
So the multitude comes — even those we behold, 
To repeat every tale which has often been told. 

For we are the same our fathers have been ; 
We see the same sights our fathers have seen ; 
We drink the same stream, we view the same sun, 
And run the same course our fathers have run. 

The thoughts we are thinking, our fathers would think ; 
From the death we are shrinking, our fathers would shrink ; 
To the life we are clinging, they also would cling ; 
But it speeds from us all like a bird on the wing. 

They loved — but the story we cannot unfold ; 
They scorned — but the heart of the haughty is cold ; 
They grieved — but no wail from their slumber will come ; 
They joyed — but the tongue of their gladness is dumb. 

They died — ay, they died; we things that are now, 
That walk on the turf that lies over their brow, 
And make in their dwellings a transient abode, 
Meet the things that they met on their pilgrimage road. 



184 Book of Knowledge. 

Yea ! hope and despondency, pleasure and pain, 
Are mingled together in sunshine and rain; 
And the smile and the tear, the song and the dirge, 
Still follow each other, like surge upon surge. 

'Tis the wink of an eye — 'tis the draught of a breath — 
From the blossom of health to the paleness of death, 
From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud: — 
Oh ! why should the spirit of mortal be proud ? 

William Knox. 



UNTIL MY WORK IS DONE. 

{From Chapter XV III.) 

I lectured occasionally during the summer, and in the fall, 
near the close of the Presidential campaign of that year (1864), 
found myself in New Boston, Mass., visiting friends, and speak- 
ing for them every Sunday. Even in that quiet village political 
excitement ran high, and both parties had arranged for a meet- 
ing in the town hall, where I was accustomed to speak; the 
Democrats occupying the first evening, the Republicans the 
evening following. The town hall was packed with an excited 
and interested crowd on both occasions. The first evening a 
Democratic lawyer from Great Barrington occupied the plat- 
form. His speech consisted of story-telling, ridicule, and abuse 
of the government; but I was informed that he was far more 
temperate in his language than it was his custom to be, owing 
to the fact that the rumor had gone abroad, I know not how, 
that I was a member of the " Loyal League," and that he was 
in danger of being reported if he carried his vituperation too 
far. I did take a few notes during the evening of his derisive 
stories, but only to refresh my memory regarding them, and 
this fact which I did not conceal, doubtless strengthened his 
supposition. I noticed that he watched me closely, but I had 
no idea of the cause. My Republican friends informed me after- 
wards that my innocent occupation was a healthy check upon 
his tongue, which they informed me had never before scrupled 



Was Lincoln a Spiritualist? 185 

to use and to give vent to the strongest and worst epithets he 
was capable of coining against President Lincoln. As it was, 
he kept the audience in a good humor, and for a man of his 
sort and the exciting period in which he spoke, he was in a 
measure temperate in language. I do not now recall his name. 
The following evening Henry L. Dawes, Member of Congress 
from Massachusetts, and a staunch Republican, spoke to the 
same immense audience. He told but one story during the en- 
tire two hours occupied by his address, and this was at the out- 
set of his remarks, and was as follows : He said there was once 
a man who had a very vicious and destructive dog, that became 
so annoying both to himself and his neighbors that he had to 
kill him ; and after killing the dog, then commenced kicking his 
carcass about the neighborhood, beating it continually until his 
neighbors protested, saying, " You have killed the dog and he 
has paid the penalty of his wrong-doing by his death. Why 
not bury him and let that end it?" He replied that he was 
kicking and beating it for the benefit of other dogs who might 
be inclined to follow his example, and to let them know there 
was punishment after death. " I am here to-night for a similar 
purpose," said Mr. Dawes. " The results of this campaign are 
a foregone conclusion. The Democratic Party is dead, and will 
receive a proper burial at the coming election, but lest there 
should be some Democrats ignorant of that fact and inclined 
to follow the vicious ways of the party, I am here to say to 
them that in their case, also, there is punishment after death." 

When the laughter and applause had subsided, he entered 
upon the real business of the hour, and never had I heard the 
causes of the frightful war through which we were passing, but 
which was then fortunately drawing to a close, and the issues 
that had given rise to it, so clearly and ably presented. He 
held the audience in breathless attention by his dispassionate 
presentation of the facts, sustained by overwhelming proofs, 
never once descending to personalities, while his periods were 
rounded with such eloquent outbursts of patriotic fervor as 
awakened the wildest enthusiasm. 

When Mr. Dawes had finished his able and eloquent address, 
the chairman of the meeting, who was also President of our 



1 86 Book of Knowledge. 

Spiritualist Society, asked him if he had any objections to my 
occupying the rostrum with him and addressing the company. 
With the courtesy which ever characterized him, he answered 
in the negative, and when I was introduced to him he recog- 
nized me, having met me in Washington. I felt it an honor, 
indeed, to be permitted to speak from the same platform with 
that able orator, for it was, indeed, one of the proudest moments 
of my life. The audience sang a ringing campaign song, when 
I became entranced and addressed the audience for about fif- 
teen minutes. The spirit controlling me stated in substance, as 
I was afterwards informed, that he had nothing to add to what 
had already been spoken beyond predicting with unerring cer- 
tainty, that Abraham Lincoln would be re-elected at the coming 
national election. I awoke amid the applause of the audience, 
and Mr. Dawes congratulated me in his kind way upon the man- 
ner in which I had been instrumental in closing the evening's 
exercises. This pleasant incident may have passed from his 
recollection, but it stands out distinctly in my own, and while 
the president of the meeting passed away two years ago, his 
wife and son, with many others who are now living, will bear 
testimony to its truth. 

A few weeks later found us again in Washington City, in 
response to urgent solicitations on the part of friends, and we 
were the guests of Major Chorpenning and his wife. Major 
Chorpenning was the first man to carry the United States mail 
across the Rocky Mountains, from Salt Lake City to San Fran- 
cisco, under a contract with our government, which he had en- 
tered into many years previous to the time of which I am speak- 
ing, and which was annulled through the false representations 
of enemies, who coveted, and finally obtained, his position. 
When I first met him he was engaged in vigorously prosecuting 
his claim against the government for damages sustained by the 
annullment of the contract. He was generous and hospitable to 
a fault, while his wife, a brilliant society lady, entertained in a 
manner which insured the acceptance of their invitations. A 
brilliant company assembled in their parlors once a week, and 
the evenings were always very enjoyable. Nearly every recep- 
tion, by unanimous request, was turned into a spiritual circle, 



Was Lincoln a Spiritualist? 187 

and I here met many gentlemen from both branches of Con- 
gress, among whom were Mr. Eben Ingersoll and Mr. John F. 
Farnsworth, of Illinois (Rep. 35th Congress), Mr. Henry L. 
Dawes, of Massachusetts, and many others whose names I can- 
not now recall. To their honor, be it said, the gentlemen I 
have named were never associated with any of the scandals 
with which Washington society was rife, and I have always 
heard them named with respect, and mentioned as above re- 
proach, both as to their public and private life. This was the 
truth also of many others. 

Time and sickness have impaired my memory to such an ex- 
tent that although I can recall the faces and manner of many 
whom I met, I cannot accurately place them. They seemed to 
keenly enjoy the circles they attended, while the major's violin 
and his wife's beautiful singing added greatly to the charm of 
the evenings. Refreshments were usually served at a late hour. 

These pleasant social gatherings are among the most pleas- 
ant memories of my Washington experiences. Tuesday after- 
noons we usually attended Mrs. Lincoln's receptions, often meet- 
ing there the ladies and gentlemen who graced our own. It 
was during this memorable winter of '64 and '65, when the 
Rebellion was in its death throes, that I knew of the visits of 
Charles Colchester and Charles Foster (two well-known me- 
diums of that time) to the White House, and of their sittings 
with President Lincoln. Through them and through myself 
he received warnings of his approaching fate ; but his fearless, 
confident nature disregarded the warnings he received. It was 
during the last days of February, when the city was being filled 
to its utmost capacity by people from all parts of the country 
to witness the second inauguration of President Lincoln that I 
received a dispatch from my home telling me my father was 
dangerously ill, and to come at once. Having an appointment 
at the White House for the following week, I hastened with my 
friend, Miss Hannum, to the ExecutiveMansion to inform Mrs. 
Lincoln of the necessity which called me away. She was out 
and we proceeded upstairs to the anteroom, adjacent to Mr. 
Lincoln's office, hoping for a last word with him. It was two 
o'clock in the afternoon, and during the last days of the expiring 



1 88 Book of Knowledge. 

Congress, and the waiting-room was filled with members from 
both Houses, all anxious to get a word with the President. Mr. 
Ingersoll and a number of others whom I knew were there, and 
it seemed doubtful of our obtaining an interview. Mr. Inger- 
soll smilingly asked if I expected to have an interview with Mr. 
Lincoln. I replied, " I hope so, as I am about to leave the city." 
He remarked he feared it was doubtful, as he and many others 
had been waiting many hours for a chance to speak with him 
and had failed. Edward, the faithful and devoted usher of the 
White House, was passing to and fro, taking in cards to Mr. 
Lincoln's office. Calling him to me, I explained that I wished 
to see the President for one brief moment, to explain why I 
could not keep my engagement the following week ; and giving 
him my card bade him watch for an opportunity when Mr. Lin- 
coln would be parting from those that were with him, and then 
place my card in his hand, telling him I would detain him but an 
instant. 

Half an hour went by, when Edward approached and bade 
us follow him. Mr. Ingersoll, with whom we had been talking, 
bade us laughingly to speak a word for him, and we were soon 
ushered into Mr. Lincoln's presence. He stood at his table, 
busily looking over some papers, but laid them down and 
greeted us with his usual genial smile. In as few words as 
possible, knowing how precious was his time, we informed him 
of the cause of our unseasonable call, stating that I had been 
summoned home by a telegram telling me my father was 
dangerously ill. Looking at me with a quizzical smile, he said, 
" But cannot our friends from the upper country tell you 
whether his illness is likely to prove fatal or not ? " I replied 
that I had already consulted with our friends, and they had 
assured me that his treatment was wrong, and that my pres- 
ence was needed to effect a cure. Turning to my friend he said 
laughingly, " I didn't catch her, did I ? " Then turning to me 
he said, " I am sorry you cannot remain to witness the inaug- 
uration, as no doubt you wish." " Indeed we would enjoy it," 
I replied, " but the crowd will be so great we will not be able 
to see you, Mr. Lincoln, even if we remain." " You could not 
help it," he answered, drawing his tall figure to its full height, 



Was Lincoln a Spiritualist? 189 

and glancing at my friend in an amused way, " I shall be the 
tallest man there." " That is true/' my friend responded, " in 
every sense of the word." He nodded pleasantly at the com- 
pliment, and then turning to me remarked, " But what do our 
friends say of us now?" "What they predicted for you, Mr. 
Lincoln, has come to pass," I answered, " and you are to be in- 
augurated a second time." He nodded his head, and I con- 
tinued, " But they also reaffirm that the shadow they have 
spoken of still hangs over you." He turned half impatiently 
away, and said, " Yes, I know. I have letters from all over the 
country from your kind of people — mediums, I mean — warning 
me against some dreadful plot against my life. But I don't 
think the knife is made or the bullet run that will reach it. 
Besides, nobody wants to harm me." A feeling of sadness that 
I could not conceal nor account for came over me, and I said, 
" Therein lies your danger, Mr. Lincoln, your over-confidence 
in your fellow-men." The old melancholy look that had of late 
seemed lifted from his face now fell over it, and he said in his 
subdued, quiet way, " Well, Miss Nettie, I shall live till my work 
is done, and no earthly power can prevent it. And then it 
doesn't matter so that I am ready — and that I ever mean to 
be." Brightening again, he extended a hand to each of us, say- 
ing, " Well, I suppose we must bid you good-bye, but we shall 
hope to see you back again next fall." " We shall certainly 
come," we replied, " if you are here" without thinking of the 
doubts our words implied. " It looks like it now," he answered, 
and walking with us to a side door, with another cordial shake 
of the hand, we passed out of his presence for the last time. 
Never again would we meet his welcome smile. 

" He perished ere the land of peace 
Had rolled war's curtain from the sky; 
But he shall live when wrong shall cease ; 
The great and good can never die." 

EXTREMES MEET. 

A very pleasant episode which had almost escaped my recol- 
lection occurred one evening after returning from the White 



190 Book of Knowledge. 

House, where a seance had been given for Mr. Lincoln. Miss 
Hannum informed me that during my absence Mrs. Chorpen- 
ning's colored cook had told her that an old colored friend had 
lost three hundred dollars which he had kept hidden in the 
toe of an old shoe . . . secreted in his bedroom, which sum 
represented his savings of a lifetime, and that some one had 
taken it, and "Auntie wished her (Parnie) to use her influence 
with me to obtain my assistance and for that purpose to have a 
sitting for the old man. At the same time the cook stated that 
she was " afeard he would go crazy." My friend promised a 
sitting on my return, and told her to bring the old man to our 
room just previous to retiring for the night. Parnie had 
scarcely ceased her revelation when a low knock on the back 
stairway door announced the arrival of our sable visitors. On 
opening the door, a tall, gaunt, stooping figure met our sight, 
whose grey head contrasted strongly with the black features, 
and who shambled into the room with many apologies, followed 
by the cook. Cutting short his profuse expressions of grati- 
tude, we reminded him of the lateness of the hour and seated 
ourselves for the seance, and for the second time that evening I 
went under influence, and my little spirit messenger, " Pinkie," 
at once informed him that his " wampum " was safe where he 
had put it, but that the old shoe had been thrown out, with 
other rubbish, into the backyard of the tenement house he 
occupied, and that among the rubbish he would find it safe in 
the morning. My friend had much difficulty in making the old 
man comprehend what had been said to him, that it was a 
" spirit " in the room whom he could not see who had given 
the communication, his eyes rolled in terror as he edged toward 
the door. It required our combined power of explanation to 
assure him that he was in no danger of seeing " ghostes." The 
explanation given him was in answer to his question, " How dat 
chile know about dis ? " 

They finally left, with many apologies for calling. The next 
morning as we were about to descend to breakfast the old man's 
timid rap was heard. He came in smiling and bowing, saying 
he had come to tell us that he had found the shoe and the 
money " right whar the young missis said it was." He was 



Was Lincoln a Spiritualist? 191 

overjoyed at the recovery of his lost treasure, and exhibited his 
pleasure by offering to pay me anything I would require for the 
service rendered him. We assured him that he was welcome, 
and that there was no charge. He asserted in further explana- 
tion and thanks that old Sally had been " clarin' up the rooms," 
and in cleaning out the dirt had thrown out the worn-out shoe 
as being of no account, little dreaming that its delapidated toe 
contained the precious hoard of a lifetime, accumulated in small 
sums, until its total represented comparative ease and future 
protection to the old fellow. 

Early in the evening my time had been passed, and my gift 
exercised, in the presence and for the benefit of the ruler of a 
great nation, while the latter part was given in the same manner 
to alleviate the misery of a poor old negro who represented one 
of his most humble adherents. To the thoughtful mind the 
picture presented declares the breadth and scope of that power 
that leads and guides all mediums in their God-given work of 
ministering to the needs of humanity. Equal to every occasion, 
it touches the loftiest heights with a light of truth and wisdom, 
guiding the uncertain steps of man in hours of supreme trial, 
and descends to the lowest valley to aid and comfort the poor 
and humble, and carry joy to the weak and miserable. There- 
fore, who shall say that it is not of God? — By permission of 
Mrs. E. S. Hartranft. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

FLORENCE MARRYAT. 

(Author of " There Is No Death.") 

" There is no death ! What seems so, is transition, 
This life of mortal breath 
Is but a burst of the life elysian, 
Whose portal we call Death." 

Longfellow. 

The following is quoted from " There Is No Death," the 
first experience of the author, Florence Marryat. She was an 
able writer and must have been sure of her convictions when she 
gave her book to the public. 

(From Chapter II. — My First Seance.) 

I had returned from India and spent several years in Eng- 
land before the subject of Modern Spiritualism was brought 
under my immediate notice. Cursorily, I had heard it mentioned 
by some people as a dreadfully wicked thing, diabolical to the 
last degree, by others as a most amusing pastime for evening 
parties, or when one wanted to get some " fun out of the table." 
But neither description charmed me, nor tempted me to pursue 
the occupation. I had already lost too many friends. Spirit- 
ualism (so it seemed to me), must either be a humbug or a very 
solemn thing, and I neither wished to trifle with it nor be trifled 
with by it. And after twenty years continued experience, I 
hold the same opinion. I have proved Spiritualism not to be a 
humbug, therefore I regard it in a sacred light. For, from 
whatever cause it may proceed, it opens a vast area for thought 
to any speculative mind, and it is a matter of constant surprise 
to me to see the indifference with which the world regards it. 
That it exists is an undeniable fact. Men of science have ac- 



Florence Marryat. 193 

knowledged it, and the churches cannot deny it. The only ques- 
tion seems to be " What is it, and whence does the power pro- 
ceed?" If (as many clever people assert), from ourselves, then 
must these bodies and minds of ours possess faculties hitherto 
undreamed of, and which we have allowed to lie culpably fallow. 
If our bodies contain magnetic forces sufficient to raise substan- 
tial and apparently living forms from the bare earth, which 
our eyes are clairvoyant enough to see, and which can articulate 
words, which our ears are clairaudient enough to hear, if, in ad- 
dition to this, our minds can read each other's inmost thoughts, 
can see what is passing at a distance and foretell what will 
happen in the future, then are our human powers greater than we 
have ever imagined, and we ought to do a great deal more with 
them than we do. And even regarding Spiritualism from that 
point of view, I cannot understand the lack of interest displayed 
in the discovery, to turn these marvellous powers of the human 
mind to a greater account. 

To discuss it, however, from the usual meaning given to the 
word, namely, as a means of communication with the departed, 
leaves me as puzzled as before. All Christians acknowledge 
that they have spirits independent of their bodies, and that when 
their bodies die, their spirits will continue to live on. Wherein, 
then, lies the terror of the idea that these liberated spirits will 
have the privilege of roaming the universe as they will? And 
if they argue the impossibility of their return, they deny the 
records that form the only basis of their religion. No greater 
proof can be brought forward of the truth of Spiritualism than 
the truth of the Bible, which teems and bristles with accounts 
of it from beginning to end. From the period when the Lord 
God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, and 
the angels came to Abram's tent and pulled Lot out of the 
doomed city; when the witch of Endor raised up Samuel; and 
Balaam's ass spoke ; and Ezekiel wrote that the hair of his head 
stood up because a "spirit" passed before him, to the presence 
of Satan with Jesus in the desert and the reappearance of Moses 
and Elias; the resurrection of Christ Himself and His talking 
and eating with His disciples, and the final account of John being 
caught up to Heaven to receive the revelations — all is Spiritual- 



194 Book of Knowledge. 

ism and nothing else. The Protestant Church, which pins its 
faith upon the Bible and nothing but the Bible, cannot deny that 
the spirits of mortal men have reappeared and been recognized 
upon this earth, as when the graves opened at the time of the 
Christ's crucifixion, and " many bodies of those that were dead 
arose and went into the city and were seen of many." The 
Catholic Church does not attempt to deny it. All her legends 
and miracles (which are disbelieved and ridiculed by the Protes- 
tants aforesaid) are founded on the same truth — the miraculous 
or supernatural return (as it is styled), of those who are gone, 
though I hope to make my readers believe as I do, that there is 
nothing miraculous in it, and far from being supernatural, it is 
only a continuation of Nature. Putting the churches and the 
Bible, however, on one side, the history of nations proves it is 
possible. There is not a people on the face of the globe which 
has not its (so-called) superstitions, nor a family, hardly, which 
has not experienced some proofs of spiritual communion with 
earth. Where learning and science have thrust all belief out of 
sight, it is only natural that a man who does not believe in a 
God nor a Hereafter should not credit the existence of spirits, nor 
the possibility of communicating with them. But the lower we 
go in the scale of society, the more simple and childlike the mind, 
the more readily does such a faith gain credence and the more 
stories you will hear to justify belief. It is just the same with 
religion, which is hid from the wise and prudent, and revealed 
to babes. 

If I am met here with the objection that the term " Spiritual- 
ism " has been at times mixed up with so much that is evil as to 
become an offence, I have no better answer to make than by turn- 
ing to the irrefragable testimony of the past and present to prove 
that in all ages and of all religions there have been corrupt and 
demoralized exponents whose vices have threatened to pull down 
the fabric they lived to raise. Christianity itself would have 
been overthrown by now, had we been unable to separate its 
doctrine from its practice. 

I held these views in the month of February, 1873, when I 
made one of a party of friends assembled at the house of Miss 
Elizabeth Philip, in Gloucester Crescent, and was introduced to 






Florence Marryat. 195 

Mr. Henry Dunphy, of the Morning Post, both of them since 
gone to join the great majority. Mr. Dunphy soon got astride 
of his favorite hobby of Spiritualism, and gave me an interesting 
account of some of the seances he had attended. I had heard 
so many clever men and women discuss the subject before, that 
I had begun to believe on their authority that there must be 
" something in it," but I held that sittings in the dark must afford 
so much liberty for deception that I would engage in none that 
I was not permitted the use of my eyesight. 

I expressed myself somewhat after this fashion to Mr. Dun- 
phy. He replied, " Then the time has arrived for you to inves- 
tigate Spiritualism, for I can introduce you to a medium who will 
show you faces of the dead ! " This proposal exactly met my 
wishes, and I gladly accepted it. Annie Thomas (Mrs. Pender 
Cudlip), the novelist, who is an intimate friend of mine, was 
staying with me at the time and became as eager as I was to 
investigate the phenomena. We took the address Mr. Dunphy 
gave us of Mrs. Holmes, the American medium, then visiting 
London and lodging in Old Quebec Street, Portman Square, 
but we refused his introduction, preferring to go incognito. Ac- 
cordingly, the next evening when she held a public seance, we 
presented ourselves at Mrs. Holmes' door; and having first re- 
moved our wedding rings, to look as virginal as possible, sent 
up our names as Miss Taylor and Miss Turner. I am perfectly 
aware that this medium was said afterward to be untrustworthy. 
So may a servant who was perfectly honest whilst in my service 
leave me for a situation where she is detected in theft. That 
does not alter the fact that she stole nothing from me. I do not 
think I know a single medium of whom I have not (at some 
time or other) heard the same thing, and I do not know a 
single woman whom I have not also, at some time or other, 
heard scandalized by her own sex, however pure and chaste 
she imagines the world holds her. The question affected me in 
neither case. I value my acquaintances for what they are to me, 
not for what they may be to others; and I have placed trust in 
my media from what I individually have seen and heard, and 
proved to be genuine in their presence, and not from what others 
may imagine they have found out about them. It is no detriment 



196 Book of Knowledge. 

to my witness that the media I sat with cheated somebody else 
either before or after. My business was only to take care that / 
was not cheated, and I have never in Spiritualism accepted any- 
thing at the hands of others that I could not prove for myself. 

Mrs. Holmes did not receive us very graciously on the 
present occasion. We were strangers to her — probably skeptics, 
and she eyed us rather coldly. It was a bitter night, and the 
snow lay so thick upon the ground that we had some difficulty 
in procuring a hansom to take us from Bayswater to Old 
Quebec Street. No other visitors arrived, and after a little while 
Mrs. Holmes offered to return our money (ten shillings), as she 
said if she did sit with us there would probably be no manifesta- 
tions, on account of the inclemency of the weather. (Often 
since then I have proved her assertion to be true, and found that 
any extreme of heat or cold is liable to make a seance a dead 
failure.) But Annie Thomas had to return to her home in Tor- 
quay the following day, so we begged the medium to try at least 
to show us something, as we were very curious on the subject. 
I am not quite sure what I hoped for or expected on this occa- 
sion. I was full of curiosity and anticipation, but I am sure that 
I never thought that I should see any face which I could recog- 
nize as having been on earth. We waited until nine o'clock, in 
hopes that a circle would be formed, but no one else came and 
Mrs. Holmes consented to sit with us alone, warning us, how- 
ever, several times, to prepare for disappointment. The lights 
were therefore extinguished and we sat for the usual preliminary 
dark seance, which was good, perhaps, but has nothing to do 
with the narrative of facts proved to be so. When it concluded 
the gas was relit, and we sat for " Spirit Faces." 

There were two small rooms connected by folding-doors. 
Annie Thomas and I were asked to go into the back room — to 
lock the door communicating with the landings and secure it 
with our own seal, stamped upon a piece of tape stretched across 
the opening, to examine the window and bar the shutter inside, 
to search the room thoroughly; in fact, to see that no one was 
concealed in it — and we did all this as a matter of business. 
When we had satisfied ourselves that no one could enter from 
the back, Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, Annie Thomas and I were 



Florence Marry at. 197 

seated on four chairs in the front room, arranged in a row be- 
fore the folding doors which were opened, and a square of black 
calico fastened across the aperture from one wall to the other. 
In this piece of calico was cut a square hole, about the size of 
an ordinary window, at which we were told the spirit faces (if 
any) would appear. There was no singing nor sounds of any 
sort made to drown the preparation, and we could have heard 
even a rustle in the next room. Mr. and Mrs. Holmes talked to 
us of their various experiences, until we were almost tired of 
waiting, when something white and indistinct, like a cloud of 
tobacco smoke or a bundle of gossamer, appeared and disap- 
peared again. 

" They are coming ! I am glad ! " said Mrs. Holmes, " I 
didn't think we could get anything to-night," and my friend and 
I were immediately on the tip-toe of expectation. The white 
mass advanced and retreated several times, and finally settled 
before the aperture and opened in the middle, when a female 
face was distinctly seen above the black calico. What was our 
amazement to recognize the features of Mrs. Thomas, An- 
nie's mother. Here I should tell my readers that Annie's father 
was a lieutenant in the Royal Navy and captain of the coastguard 
at Morston in Norfolk, had been a near neighbor and great 
friend of my father, Captain Marryat, and their children had 
associated like brothers and sisters. I had therefore known Mrs. 
Thomas well, and recognized her at once, as of course did her 
daughter. The witness of two people is considered sufficient in 
law. It ought to be accepted by society. Poor Annie was very 
much affected and talked to her mother in the most incoherent 
manner. The spirit did not seem able to answer in words, but 
she bowed her head or shook it according as she wished to say 
" yes " or " no." I could not help feeling awed at the appearance 
of the dear old lady, but the only thing that puzzled me was the 
cap she wore, which was made of white net quilled closely 
around her face, and unlike any I had ever seen her wear in 
life. I whispered this to Annie and she replied at once, " It is 
the cap she was buried in," which settled the question. Mrs. 
Thomas had possessed a very pleasant and uncommon face, with 
bright black eyes and a complexion of pink and white, like that 



198 Book of Knowledge. 

of a child. It was some time before Annie could be persuaded to 
let her mother go, but the next face that presented itself aston- 
ished her quite as much, for she recognized it as that of Captain 
Gordon, a gentleman whom she had known intimately and for a 
length of time. I had never seen Captain Gordon in the flesh 
but had heard of him, and knew he had died from a sudden ac- 
cident. All I saw was the head of a good-looking, fair, young 
man, and not feeling any personal interest in his appearance, I 
occupied the time during which my friend conversed with him 
about olden days, by minutely examining the working of the 
muscles of the throat, which undeniably stretched when his head 
moved. As I was doing so he leaned forward and I saw a dark 
stain which looked like a clot of blood on his fair hair, on the 
left side of the forehead. 

" Annie ! what did Captain Gordon die of ? " I asked. 

" He fell from a railway carriage," she replied, and struck 
his head upon the line." I then pointed out to her the blood 
upon his hair. Several other faces appeared which we could not 
recognize. At last came one of a gentleman, apparently moulded 
like a bust in plaster of paris. He had a kind of smoking cap 
upon the head, curly hair and a beard, but being perfectly colorless 
he looked so unlike nature that I could not trace a resemblance to 
any friend of mine, though he kept on bowing in my direction, 
as though I knew or had known him. I examined this face 
again and again in vain. Nothing in it struck me as familiar 
until the mouth broke into a grave, amused smile at my per- 
plexity. In a moment I recognized it as that of my dear old 
friend, John Powles, whose history I shall relate in extenso fur- 
ther on. I exclaimed " Powles ! " and sprang towards it, but 
with my hasty action my figure disappeared. I was terribly 
vexed at my imprudence, for this was the friend of all others I 
desired to see, and sat there hoping and praying the spirit would 
return, but it did not. Annie Thomas' mother and friend came 
back several times; indeed Annie recalled Captain Gordon so 
often that on his last appearance the power was so exhausted 
that his face looked like a faded sketch in water colors, but Powles 
had vanished altogether. The last face we saw that night was 
that of a little girl, and only her eyes and nose were visible, the 



Florence Marryat. 199 

rest of her head and face being enveloped in some white, flimsy 
material, like muslin. Mrs. Holmes asked her for whom she 
came, and she intimated that it was for me. I said that she must 
be mistaken, that I had known no one in life like her. The 
medium questioned her very closely and tried to put her " out of 
court," as it were. Still the child persisted that she came for me. 
Mrs. Holmes said to me, " Cannot you remember any one of 
that age connected with you in the spirit world? No cousin, 
nor niece, nor sister, nor child of a friend ? " I tried to remem- 
ber, but could not and answered, " No, no child of that age." 
She then addressed the little spirit. " You have made a mistake. 
There is no one here who knows you. You had better move on." 
So the child did move on, but very slowly and reluctantly. I 
could read her disappointment in her eyes, and after she had dis- 
appeared, she peeped around the corner again and looked at me 
longingly. This was Florence, my dear lost child (as I then 
called her), who had left me as a little infant of ten days old, 
and whom I could not at first recognize as a young girl of ten 
years. Her identity, however, has been proven to me since, 
beyond all doubt, as will be seen in the chapter which relates my 
reunion with her, and is headed " My Spirit Child." Thus ended 
the first seance at which I ever assisted, and it made a powerful 
impression upon my mind. Mrs. Holmes, in bidding us good- 
night, said, " You two ladies must be very powerful mediums. 
I never held so successful a seance with strangers in my life 
before." This news elated us — we were eager to pursue our 
investigations, and were enchanted to think that we could have 
seances at home, and as soon as Annie Thomas took up her resi- 
dence in London, we agreed to hold regular meetings for the 
purpose. This was the seance that made me a student of the 
psychological phenomena, which the men of the nineteenth cen- 
tury term Spiritualism. Had it turned out a failure, I might 
have been as most men are. Quien sabef As it was, it incited 
me to go on and on, until I have seen and heard things which 
at that moment would have seemed utterly impossible to me. 
And I would not have missed the experience I have passed 
through for all the good this world could offer me. 



200 Book of Knowledge. 

(Chapter III. — Curious Coincidences.) 

Before I proceed to write down the results of my private 
and premeditated investigations, I am reminded to say a word 
respecting the permission I received for the pursuit of Spiritual- 
ism. As soon as I expressed my curiosity on the subject, I was 
met on all sides with the objection that, as I am a Catholic, I could 
not possibly have anything to do with the matter, and it is a fact 
that the church strictly forbids all meddling with necromancy 
or communion with the departed. Necromancy is a terrible word, 
is it not? Especially to such people who do not understand its 
meaning and only associate it with the dead of night, charmed 
circles, and seething caldrons, and the arch fiend, in propria per- 
sona, with two horns and a tail. Yet it seems strange to me that 
the Catholic Church, whose very doctrine is overlaid with Spirit- 
ualism, and who makes it a matter of belief that the Saints hear 
and help us in our prayers and the daily actions of our lives, and 
recommends our kissing the ground every morning at the feet 
of our guardian angel, should consider it unlawful for us to com- 
municate with our departed relatives. I cannot see the difference 
in iniquity between speaking to John Powles, who was and is 
a dear and trusted friend of mine, and St. Peter of Alcantara, 
who is an old man whom I have never seen in this life. They 
are both men, both mortal, and are both spirits. Again, my 
mother, who was a pious woman all her life, and is now in the 
other world, would be just as likely to take an interest in my 
welfare and to try and promote the prospect of our future meeting 
as Saint Veronica Guiliani, who is my patron. Yet were I to 
spend half my time in prayer before Saint Veronica's altar, asking 
help and guidance, I should be doing right (according to the 
church), but if I did the same thing at my mother's grave, or 
spoke to her at a seance, I should be doing wrong. These dis- 
tinctions without a difference were hard nuts to crack, and I was 
bound to settle the matter with my conscience before I went on 
with my investigations. 

It is a fact that I have met quite as many Catholics as Protes- 
tants (especially of the higher classes), among the investigators 
of Spiritualism, and I have not been surprised at it, for who 



Florence Marry at. 201 

could better understand and appreciate the beauty of communi- 
cations from the spirit world than the members of that church 
which instructs us to believe in the communion of saints, as an 
ever-present though invisible mystery. Whether my church ac- 
quaintances had received permission to attend seances or not 
was no concern of mine, but I took good care to procure it for 
myself and I record it here, because rumors have constantly 
reached me of people having said behind my back that I can be 
" no Catholic " because I am a Spiritualist. 

My director at that time was Father Dalgairn, of the Oratory 
at Brompton, and it was to him I took my difficulty. I was a 
very constant press writer and reviewer, and to be unable to attend 
and report on Spiritualistic meetings would have seriously mili- 
tated against my professional interests. I represented this to 
the Father, and (although under protest), I received his permis- 
sion to pursue the research in the cause of science. He did more 
than ease my conscience. He became interested in what I had to 
tell him on the subject, and we had many conversations concern- 
ing it. He also lent me from his own library the lives of such 
saints as had heard voices and seen visions, of those who in 
fact (like myself) had been the victims of " Optical Illusions." 
Amongst these I found the case of Saint Anne Catherine of 
Emmerich, so like my own that I began to think that I too might 
turn out a saint in disguise. 

She used to see the spirits floating beside her as she walked 
to mass, and heard them asking her to pray for them as they 
pointed to " less taches sur leurs robes." The musical instru- 
ments used to play with out hands in her presence, and voices 
from invisible throats sound in her ears, as they have done in 
mine. • I have only inserted these claims, however, for the satis- 
faction of those Catholic acquaintances with whom I have sat 
at seances, and who will probably be the first to exclaim against 
the publication of our joint experiences. I trust they will ac- 
knowledge, after reading it, that I am not worse than themselves, 
though I myself may be a little bolder in avowing my opinions. 

Before I began this chapter, I had an argument with that 
friend of mine called Self (who has often worsted me in 
the Battle of Life), as to whether I should say anything about 



202 Book of Knowledge. 

table rapping or tilting. The very fact of so common an article 
of furniture as a table, as an agent with the unseen world, has 
excited so much ridicule and opens so wide a field for chicanery, 
that I throught it would be better to drop the subject and con- 
fine myself to those phases of the science, or art, or religion, or 
whatever the reader may call it, that can be described or explained 
on paper. The philosophers of the nineteenth century have in- 
vented so many manners for the cause that makes a table turn 
round, tilt, or rap, that I feel quite unable (not being a philos- 
opher), to cope with them. It is " magnetic force " or " psychic 
force ; " it is " unconscious cerebration " or " brain-reading," 
and it is exceedingly difficult to tell the outside world of the pri- 
vate reasons that convince individuals that the answers they 
receive are not emanations from their own brains. I shall not 
attempt to refute their reasonings from their own standpoint. I 
see the difficulties in the way so much that I have persistently 
refused for many years to sit at the table with strangers, for it 
is only a lengthened study of the matter that can positively con- 
vince a person of its truth. I cannot, however, see the extreme 
folly myself of holding communication (under the circum- 
stances), through the raps or tilts of a table, or any other object. 
These tiny indications of an influence ulterior to our own are 
not necessarily confined to the table. I have received them 
through a cardboard box, a gentleman's hat, a footstool, the 
strings of a guitar, on the back of my chair, even on the pillow 
of my bed. And which, among the philosophers I allude to, 
could suggest a similar mode of communication ? 

I have put the question to clever men, thus : " Suppose your- 
self, after being able to write and talk to me, suddenly deprived 
of the powers of speech and touch, and made invisible, so that 
we could not understand each other by signs, what better means 
than by taps and tilts on any article when the, right word or letter 
is named, could you think of by which to communicate with 
me? " 

And my clever men have never been able to propose an easier 
or more sensible plan, and if anybody can suggest one I should 
very much like to hear it. The following incidents all took place 
through the much ridiculed tipping of the table, but managed to 



4 



Florence Marry at. 203 

knock some sense out of it, nevertheless. On looking over the 
note book which I faithfully kept when we first held seances at 
home, I find many cases of identity which took place, through 
my mediumship, and which could not possibly have been the 
effects of mind-reading. I devote this chapter to their relation. 
I hope it will be observed with what admirable caution I have 
headed it. I have a few drops of Scotch blood in me by the 
mother's side, and I think they must have aided me here. 
" Curious Coincidences." Why, not the most captious and un- 
believing critic of them all can find fault with so modest and 
unbelieving a title. Every one believes in the occasional possi- 
bility of " curious coincidences." 

It was not until the month of June, 1873, that we formed a 
home circle and commenced regularly to sit together. We be- 
came so interested in the pursuit that we used to sit every evening, 
and sometimes till three or four o'clock in the morning, greatly 
to our detriment, both mental and physical. We seldom sat alone, 
being joined by two or three friends from outside, and the results 
were sometimes very startling, as we were a strong circle. The 
memoranda of these sittings, sometimes with one party and some- 
times with another, extended over a period of years, but I shall 
restrict myself to relating a few incidents that were verified 
by subsequent events. 

The means by which we communicated with the influences 
around us was the usual one. We sat round the table and laid 
our hands upon it, and I (or any one who might be selected for 
the purpose), spelled over the alphabet, and raps or tilts occurred 
when the desired letter was reached. This in reality is not so 
tedious a process as it may appear, and once used to it, one may 
get through a vast amount of conversation in an hour by this 
means. The medium is soon able to guess the word intended to 
be spelled for there are not so many, after all, in use in general 
conversation. 

Some one had come to our table on several occasions, giving 
the name of " Valerie," but refusing to say any more, so we 
thought she was an idle or frivolous spirit, and had been in the 
habit of driving her away. One evening on the first of July, 
however, our circle was augmented by Mr. Henry Stacke, when 



204 Book of Knowledge. 

" Valerie " was immediately spelt out, and the following conversa- 
tion ensued. Mr. Stacke said to me, " Who is this ? " and I re- 
plied carelessly, " O ! she's a little devil ! She never has anything 
to say." The table rocked violently at this, and the table spelt 
out: 

" Je ne suis pas diable." 

" Hello ! Valerie, so you can talk now ! For whom do you 
come ? " 

"Monsieur Stacke." 

" Where did you meet him ? " 

" On the Continent." 

"Whereabouts?" 

" Between Dijon and Macon." 

" How did you meet him ? " 

" In a railway carriage." 

" What were you doing there ? " 

Here she relapsed into French, and said: 

" Ce m'est impossible de dire." 

At this juncture Mr. Stacke observed that he had never been 
in a train between Dijon and Macon but once in his life, and if 
the spirit was with him then, she must remember what was the 
matter with their fellow-passenger. 

" Mais oui, oui — il etait fou," she replied, which proved to be 
perfectly correct. Mr. Stacke also remembered that two ladies 
in the same carriage had been dreadfully frightened, and he had 
assisted them to get into another. " Valerie " continued, " Priez 
pour moi." 

" Pourquoi, Valerie ? " 

" Parceque j'ai beaucoup peche." 

There was an influence who frequented our society at that 
time and called himself " Charlie." 

He stated that his full name had been " Stephen Charles Ber- 
nard Abbot," that he had been a monk of great literary attain- 
ments — that he had embraced the monastic life in the reign of 
Queen Mary, and apostatized for political reasons in that of 
Elizabeth, and been " earth bound " in consequence ever since. 

" Charlie " asked us to sing one night and we struck up the 
very vulgar refrain of " Champagne Charlie," to which he greatly 



Florence Marry at. 205 

objected, asking for something more serious. I began " Ye 
banks and braes o' bonnie Doon." 

" Why that's as bad as the other," said Charlie. " It was a 
ribald and obscene song in the time of Elizabeth. The drunken 
roysterers used to sing it in the street as they rolled home at 
night." 

" You must be mistaken, Charlie, it is a well known Scotch 
air." 

" It is no more Scotch than I am," he replied. " The Scotch 
say they invented everything. It's a tune of the time of Eliza- 
beth. Ask Brinley Richards." 

" Having the acquaintance of that gentleman, who was the 
great authority on the origin of national ballads, I applied to 
him for the information, and received an answer to say that 
" Charlie " was right, but that Mr. Richards had not been aware 
of the fact himself until he searched some old MSS. in the Brit- 
ish Museum, for the purpose of ascertaining the truth. 

I was giving a sitting once to an officer from Aldershot, a 
cousin of mine, who was quite prepared to ridicule everything 
that took place. After having teased me into giving him a 
seance he began by cheating himself and then accused me of 
cheating him, and altogether tired out my patience. At last I 
proposed a test, though with little hope of success. 

" Let us ask John Powles to go down to Aldershot," I said, 
" and bring word what your brother officers are doing." 

" O, yes ! by Jove ! Capital idea ! You fellow Powles, cut 
off to camp, will you, and go to the barracks of the 84th, and let 

us know what Major R is doing." The message came back 

in about three minutes. " Major R has just come in from 

duty," spelt out Powles. " He is sitting on the side of his bed, 
changing his uniform trousers for a pair of gray tweed." 

" I am sure that's wrong," said my cousin, " because the men 
are never called out at this time of day." 

It was then four o'clock as we had been careful to ascertain. 
My cousin returned to camp the same evening, and the next day 
I received a note from him saying, " That fellow Powles is a 

brick. It was quite right. R was unexpectedly ordered to 

turn out his company yesterday afternoon, and he returned to the 



206 Book of Knowledge. 

barracks and changed his things for the gray tweed suit, exactly 
at four o'clock." 

But I have always found my friend Powles (when he will 
condescend to do anything for strangers, which is seldom), re- 
markably correct in detailing the thoughts and actions of the 
absentees, sometimes on the other side of the globe. 

I went one afternoon to pay an ordinary social call on a lady 
named Mrs. W , and found her engaged in an earnest con- 
versation on Spiritualism with a stout woman and a common- 
place man — two as material looking individuals as ever I saw, 
and who appeared all the more so under a sultry August sun. 

As soon as Mrs. W saw me she exclaimed, " O ! here is 

Mrs. Ross-Church. She will tell you air about the spirits. Do, 
Mrs. Ross-Church, sit down at the table and let us have a seance." 

A seance on a burning, blazing afternoon in August, with 
two solid and uninteresting, and worse still uninterested looking 

strangers, who appeared to think Mrs. W had a " bee in her 

bonnet." I protested — I reasoned — I pleaded — all in vain. My 
hostess continued to urge and society places the guest at the mercy 
of her hostess. So, in an evil temper, I pulled off my gloves and 
placed my hands indifferently on the table. The following words 
were at once rapped out: 

" I am Edward G . Did you ever pay Johnson the seven- 
teen pounds twelve you received for my saddlery ? " 

The gentleman opposite me turned all sorts of colors, and 
began to stammer out a reply, while his wife looked very con- 
fused. I asked the influence, " Who are you ? " It replied, " He 
knows! His late colonel! Why hasn't Johnson received that 
money ? " 

This is what I call an awkward coincidence, and I have 
had many such occur through me — some that have driven ac- 
quaintances away from the table, vowing vengeance against me, 
and racking their brains to discover who had told me their secret 
peccadilloes. The gentleman in question (whose name, even, I 
do not remember), confessed that the identity and main points 
of the message were true, but he did not confide to us whether 
Johnson had ever received that seventeen pounds twelve. 

I had a beautiful English greyhound, called " Clytie " a gift 



Florence Marry at. 207 

from Annie Thomas to me, and this dog was given to straying 
from my house in Colville Road, Bayswater, which runs parallel 
to Portobello Road, a rather objectionable quarter, composed of 
inferior shops, one of which, a fried fish shop, was an intolerable 
nuisance, and used to fill the air around with its rich perfume. 
On one occasion, " Clytie " stayed away from home so much 
longer than usual that I was afraid she was lost in good earnest, 
and posted bills offering a reward for her. " Charlie " came to 
the table and said that evening, " Don't offer a reward for the dog. 
Send for her." 

" She is tied up at the fried fish shop in Portobello Road. 
Send the cook to see." 

I told the servant in question that I had heard that the grey- 
hound was detained at the fish shop and sent her to inquire. She 
returned with " Clytie." Her account was that on making in- 
quiries the man in the shop had been very insolent to her and 
she had raised her voice in reply; that she had then heard and 
recognized the sharp, peculiar bark of the greyhound from an 
upper story, and running up before the man could prevent her, 
she had found " Clytie " tied up to a bedstead with a piece of 
rope, and had called in a policeman to enable her to take the dog 
away. I have often heard the assertion that Spiritualism does 
no practical good, and, doubtless, it was never intended to do so, 
but this incident was, at least, an exception to this rule. 

When abroad on one occasion, I was asked by a Catholic 
Abbe to sit with him. He had never seen any manifestations be- 
fore, and he did not believe in them, but he was curious on the 
subject. I knew nothing of him further than that he was a priest 
and a Jesuit, and a great friend of my sister's, at whose house I 
was staying. He spoke English, and the conversation was carried 
on in that language. He had told me before that if he could 
receive a perfectly private test he would never doubt the 
truth of the manifestations again. I left him therefore to con- 
duct the investigations entirely by himself, I acted only as the 
medium between him and the influence. As soon as the table 
moved, he put his question direct, without asking who was there 
to answer it. 

" Where is my chasuble ? " 



208 Book of Knowledge. 

Now a priest's chasuble, / should have said, must be either 
hanging in the sacristy or packed away at home, or been sent 
away to be altered or mended. But the answer was different 
from all my speculations. 

" At the bottom of the Red Sea." 

The priest started, but continued: 

"Who put it there?" 

" Elias Dodo." 

" What was his object in doing so? " 

" He found the parcel a burden, and did not expect any re- 
ward for delivering it." 

The Abbe really looked as if he had encountered the devil. 
He wiped the perspiration from his forehead, and put one more 
question. 

" Of what was my chasuble made ? " 

" You sister's wedding dress." 

The priest then explained to me that his sister had made him 
a chasuble out of her wedding dress — one of the forms of re- 
turning thanks to the church, but that after awhile it became old 
fashioned, and the bishop going his rounds, ordered him to get 
another. He did not like to throw away his sister's gift, so he 
sent the old chasuble to a priest in India, where they were very 
poor, and not so particular as to fashion. He confided the 
package to a man called Elias Dodo, a sufficiently singular name, 
but neither he nor the priest he sent it to had ever heard any- 
thing more of the chasuble or the young man who had promised 
to deliver it. 

A young artist of the name of Courtney was a visitor at my 
house. He asked me to sit with him alone, when the table began 
wrapping out a number of consonants — a farrago of nonsense, 
it appeared to me, and I stopped and said so. But Mr. Courtney, 
who appeared much interested, begged me to proceed. When 
the communication was finished he said to me, " This is the most 
wonderful thing I have ever heard. My father has been at the 
table talking to me in Welsh. He has told me our family motto, 
and all about my birth-place and relations in Wales." I said, 
" I never heard you were a Welshman." " Yes, I am," he replied, 
" my real name is Powell. I have only adopted the name of 
Courtney for professional purposes." 



Florence Marryat. 209 

This was news to me, but had it not been, I cannot speak 
Welsh. 

I could multiply such cases by the dozen, but that I fear to 
tire my readers, added to which the majority of them were of so 
strictly private a nature that it would be impossible to put them 
into print. This is perhaps the greatest drawback that one en- 
counters in trying to prove the truth of Spiritualism. The best 
tests we receive are when the very secrets of our hearts, which 
we have not confided to our nearest friends, are revealed to us. 
I could relate (had I the permission of the friends most inter- 
ested), the particulars of a well-known law suit, in which the 
requisite evidence and names and addresses of witnesses were all 
given through my mediumship, and were the cause of the case 
being gained by the side that came to me for information. Some 
of the coincidences I have related in this chapter might, however, 
be ascribed by the skeptical to the mysterious and unknown power 
of brain reading, whatever it may be, and however it may come, 
apart from mediumship ; but how one is to account for the facts 
I shall tell you in my next chapter. 

THE MEDIUMSHIP OF FLORENCE COOK. 

In writing of my own mediumship, or the mediumship of any 
other person, I wish it particularly to be understood that I do 
not intend my narrative to be, by any means, an account of all 
seances held under that control (for were I to include everything 
that I have seen and heard during my researches into Spiritual- 
ism, this volume would swell to unconscionable dimensions), but 
only of certain events which I believe to be remarkable, and not 
enjoyed by every one in like measure. Most people have read of 
the ordinary phenomena that take place at such meetings. My 
readers, therefore, will find no description here of marvels which 
— whether true or false — can be accounted for upon natural 
grounds. 

Miss Florence Cook, now Mrs. Elgie Corner, is one of the 
media who have been most talked of and written about. Mr. 
Alfred Crookes took an immense interest in her, and published 
a long account of his investigation of Spiritualism under her 



2io Book of Knowledge. 

mediumship. Mr. Henry Dunphy, of the Morning Post, wrote 
a series of papers for London Society (of which magazine I 
was then the editor), describing her powers, and the proof she 
gave of them. The first time I ever met Florence Cook was in 
his private house, when my little daughter appeared through her 
(vide " The Story of My Spirit Child.") On that occasion, as 
we were sitting at supper after the seance — a party of perhaps 
thirty people — the whole dinner table, with everything upon it, 
rose bodily in the air to a level with our knees, and the dishes and 
glasses swayed about in a perilous manner, without, however, 
coming to any permanent harm. I was so much astonished at, 
and interested by, what I saw that evening, that I became most 
anxious to make the personal acquaintance of Miss Cook. She 
was the medium for the celebrated spirit, " Katie King," of whom 
so much has been believed and disbelieved, and the seances she 
gave at her parents' house in Hackney for the purpose of seeing 
this figure alone used to be crowded by the cleverest and most 
scientific men of the day, Sergeants Cox and Ballantyne, Mr. 
S. C. Hall, Mr. Alfred Crookes, and many others, being on terms 
of the greatest intimacy with her. Mr. William Harrison, of the 
Spiritualist, was the one to procure me an introduction to the 
family and an entrance to the seances, for which I shall always 
feel grateful to him. 

For the benefit of the uninitiated, let me begin by telling who 
" Katie King " was supposed to be. Her account of herself was 
that her name was " Annie Owens Morgan ; " that she was the 
daughter of Sir Henry Morgan, a famous buccaneer who lived 
about the time of the Commonwealth, and suffered death upon 
the high seas, being, in fact, a pirate ; that she herself was about 
twelve years old when Charles the First was beheaded; that she 
married and had two little children; that she committed more 
crimes than we would like to hear of, having murdered men with 
her own hands, but yet died quite young, at about two or three 
and twenty. To all questions concerning the reason of her re- 
appearance on earth, she returned but one answer, that it was 
part of the work given her to do to convince the world of the 
truth of Spiritualism. This was the information I received from 
her own lips. She had appeared to the Cook's some years before 



Florence Marryat. 211 

I saw her, and had become so much one of the family as to walk 
about the house at all times without alarming the inmates. She 
often materialized and got into bed with her medium at night, 
much to Florrie's annoyance; and after Miss Cook's marriage 
to Captain Corner, he told me himself that he used to feel at first 
as if he had married two women, and was not quite sure which 
was his wife of the two. 

The order of these seances was always the same. Miss Cook 
retired to a back room, divided from the audience by a thin 
damask curtain, and presently the form of " Katie King " would 
appear dressed in white, and walk out amongst the sitters in gas- 
light, and talk like one of themselves. Florence Cook (as I men- 
tioned before), is a very small, slight brunette, with dark eyes and 
dark curly hair, and a delicate aquiline nose. Sometimes " Katie " 
resembled her exactly ; at others, she was totally different. Some- 
times, too, she measured the same height as her medium; at 
others, she was much taller. I have a large photograph of "Katie," 
taken under lime-light. In it she appears as the double of Florrie 
Cook, yet Florrie was looking on whilst the picture was taken. 
I have sat for her several times with Mr. Crookes, and seen the 
tests applied which are mentioned in his book on the subject. 
I have seen Florrie's dark curls nailed down to the floor, outside 
the curtain, in view of the audience, whilst " Katie " walked about 
and talked with us. I have seen Florrie placed on the scale of a 
weighing machine constructed by Mr. Crookes for the purpose, 
behind the curtain, whilst the balance remained in sight. I have 
seen under these circumstances that the medium weighed eight 
stone in a normal condition, and that as soon as the materialized 
form was fully developed, the balance ran up to four stone. 
Moreover, I have seen both Florrie and " Katie " together on 
several occasions, so I can have no doubt on the subject that they 
were two separate creatures. Still, I can quite understand how 
difficult it must have been for strangers to compare the strong 
likeness that existed between the medium and the spirit, without 
suspecting that they were one and the same person. One evening 
" Katie " walked out and perched herself upon my knee. I 
could feel she was a much plumper and heavier woman than 
Miss Cook, but she wonderfully resembled her in features, and 



212 Book of Knowledge. 

I told her so. " Katie " did not seem to consider it a compliment. 
She shrugged her shoulders, made a grimace, and said, " I know 
I am; I can't help it, but I was much prettier than that in earth 
life. You shall see, some day — you shall see." After she had 
finally retired that evening, she put her head out at the curtain 
again and said, with the strong lisp she always had, " I want 
Mrs. Ross-Church," I rose and went to her, when she pulled me 
inside the curtain, when I found it was so thin that the gas 
shining through it from the outer room made everything in 
the inner quite visible. " Katie " pulled my dress impatiently 
and said, " Sit down on the ground," which I did. She then 
seated herself in my lap, saying, " And now, dear, we'll have a 
good confab, like women do on earth." Florence Cook, mean- 
while, was lying on a mattress on the ground, close to us, 
wrapped in a deep trance. " Katie " seemed very anxious I 
should ascertain beyond doubt that it was Florrie. " Touch her," 
she said, " take her hand, pull her curls. Do you see that it is 
Florrie lying there ? " When I assured her I was quite satisfied 
there was no doubt of it, the spirit said, " Then look round this 
way, and see what I was like in earth life." I turned to the form 
in my arms, and what was my amazement to see a woman fair 
as the day, with large gray or blue eyes, a white skin, and a pro- 
fusion of golden red hair. " Katie " enjoyed my surprise, and 
asked me " Ain't I prettier than Florrie now ? " she then rose 
and procured a pair of scissors from the table, and cut off a lock 
of her own hair and a lock of the medium's, and gave them to 
me. I have them to this day. One is almost black, soft and 
silky; the other a coarse golden red. After she had made me 
this present, " Katie " said, " Go back now, but don't tell the 
others to-night, or they'll all want to see me." On another warm 
evening she sat on my lap amongst the audience, and I felt per- 
spiration on her arm. This surprised me; and I asked her, if, 
for the time being, she had the nerves, veins and secretions of a 
human being; if blood ran through her body, and she had a 
heart and lungs. Her answer was, " I have everything that 
Florrie has." On that occasion also she called me after her 
into the back room, and dropping her white robe, stood per- 
fectly naked before me. " Now," she said, " you can see that I 



Florence Marryat. 213 

am a woman." Which indeed she was, and a most beautifully 
made woman too; and I examined her well, whilst Miss Cook 
lay beside us on the floor. Instead of dismissing me this time, 
" Katie " told me to sit down by the medium, and, having brought 
me a candle and matches, said I was to strike a light as soon as 
she gave three knocks, as Florrie would be hysterical on awaken- 
ing, and need my assistance. She then knelt down and kissed 
me, and I saw she was still naked. " Where is your dress, 
Katie ? " I asked. " Oh, that's gone," she said, " I've sent it on 
before me." As she spoke thus, kneeling beside me, she rapped 
three times on the floor. I struck the match almost simultan- 
eously with the signal ; but as it flared up, " Katie King " was 
gone like a flash of lightning and Miss Cook, as she had predicted, 
awoke with a burst of frightened tears, and had to be soothed, 
into tranquility again. On another occasion " Katie King " 
was asked at the beginning of the seance, by one of the company, 
to say why she could not appear in the light of more than one 
gas burner. The question seemed to irritate her, and she replied, 
" I have told you all, several times before, that I can't stay under 
a searching light. I don't know why; but I can't, and if you 
want to prove the truth of what I say, turn up all the gas and 
see what will happen to me. Only remember, if you do there will 
be no seance to-night, because I shan't be able to come back 
again, and you must take your choice." 

Upon this assertion it was put to the vote if the trial should 
be made or not, and all present (Mr. S. C. Hall was one of the 
party), decided we would prefer to witness the effect of a full 
glare upon the materialized form than to have the usual sitting, 
as it would settle the vexed question of the necessity of gloom 
(if not darkness) for a materializing seance forever. We accord- 
ingly told " Katie " of our choice, and she consented to stand the 
test, though she said afterwards we had put her to much pain. 
She took up her station against the drawing-room wall, with 
her arms extended as if she were crucified. Then three gas- 
burners were turned on their full extent in a room about sixteen 
feet square. The effect on " Katie King " was marvellous. She 
looked like herself for the space of a second only, then she begarf 
gradually to melt away. I can compare the dematerialization of 



214 Book of Knowledge. 

her form to nothing but a wax doll melting before a hot fire. 
First, the features became blurred and indistinct; they seemed 
to run into each other. The eyes sunk in the sockets, the nose 
disappeared, the frontal bone fell in. Next the limbs appeared 
to give way under her and she sank lower and lower on the 
carpet like a crumbling edifice. At last there was nothing but 
her head left above the ground — then a heap of white drapery 
only, which disappeared with a whisk, as if a hand had pulled it 
after her — and. we were left staring by the light of three gas- 
burners at the spot on which " Katie King " had stood. 

She was always attired in white drapery, but it varied in 
quality. Sometimes it looked like long cloth; at others it looked 
like mull muslin or jaconet; oftenest it was a species of thick 
cotton net. The sitters were much given to asking " Katie " for 
a piece of her dress to keep as a souvenir of their visit ; and when 
they received it would seal it up carefully in an envelope and 
convey it home, and were much surprised on examining their 
treasure to find it had totally disappeared. 

" Katie " used to say that nothing material about her could 
be made to last without taking away some of the medium's 
vitality, and weakening her in consequence. One evening, when 
she was cutting off pieces of her dress rather lavishly, I remarked, 
that it would require a great deal of mending. She answered, 
" I'll show you how we mend dresses in the Spirit World." She 
then doubled up the front breadth of her garment a dozen times, 
and cut two or three round holes in it. I am sure when she 
let it fall again there must have been thirty or forty holes, and 
" Katie " said, " Isn't that a nice cullender ? " She then com- 
menced, while we stood close to her, to shake her skirt gently 
about, and in a minute it was as perfect as before, without a 
hole to be seen. When we expressed our astonishment, she told 
me to take the scissors and cut off her hair. She had a profusion 
of ringlets falling to her waist that night. I obeyed religiously, 
hacking the hair wherever I could, whilst she kept on saying, 
" Cut more ! Cut more ! not for yourself, you know, because you 
can't take it away." 

So I cut off curl after curl, and as fast as they fell to the 
ground, the hair grew again upon her head. When I had fin- 



Florence Marry at. 215 

ished, " Katie " asked me to examine her hair, to see if I could 
detect any place where I had used the scissors, and I did so 
without any effect. Neither was the severed hair to be found. It 
had vanished out of sight. " Katie " was photographed many 
times, by lime-light, by Mr. Alfred Crookes, but her portraits are 
all too much like her medium to be of any value in establishing 
her claim to a separate identity. She had always stated she 
should not appear on this earth after the month of May, 1874 ; 
and accordingly on the 21st she assembled her friends to say 
" Good-bye " to them, and I was one of the number. " Katie " 
had asked Miss Cook to provide her with a large basket of flowers 
and ribbons, and she sat on the floor and made up a bouquet for 
each of her friends to keep in remembrance of her. 

Mine, which consisted of lilies of the valley and pink ger- 
anium, looks almost as fresh to-day, nearly seventeen years after, 
as it did when she gave it to me. It was accompanied by the 
following words, which " Katie " wrote on a sheet of paper in 
my presence: 

" From Annie Owen de Morgan (alias " Katie ") to her 
friend Florence Marryat Ross-Church. With love. Fensez a 
moi. 

" May 21, 1874." 

The farewell scene was as pathetic as if we had been parting 
with a dear companion by death. " Katie " herself did not seem 
to know how to go. She returned again and again to have a last 
look, especially at Mr. Alfred Crookes, who was as much attached 
to her as she was to him. Her prediction has been fulfilled, and 
from that day Florence Cook never saw her again nor heard 
anything about her. Her place was shortly filled by another in- 
fluence, who called herself " Marie " and who danced and sung 
in a truly professional style, and certainly as Miss Cook never 
either danced or sung. I should not have mentioned the appear- 
ance of this spirit, whom I only saw once or twice, excepting for 
the following reason: On one occasion Miss Cook (then Mrs. 
Corner), was giving a public seance at the rooms of the National 
British Association of Spiritualism, at which a certain Sir George 
Sitwell, a very young man, was present, and at which he de- 
clared that the medium cheated, and that the spirit " Marie " was 



216 Book of Knowledge. 

herself dressed up to deceive the audience. Letters appeared in 
the newspapers about it, and the whole press came down upon 
Spiritualists, and declared them all to be either knaves or fools. 
These notices were published on the morning of a day on which 
Miss Cook was engaged to give another public seance, at which 
I was present. She was naturally very much cut up about them. 
Her reputation was at stake; her honor had been called into 
question, and being a proud girl, she resented it bitterly. Her 
present audience was chiefly composed of friends; but, before 
commencing, she put it to us whether, whilst under such a 
stigma, she had better not sit at all. We, who had all tested her 
and believed in her, were unanimous in repudiating the vile 
charges brought against her, and in begging the seance should 
proceed. Florrie refused, however, to sit unless someone sat in 
the cabinet with her, and she chose me for the purpose. I was 
therefore tied to her securely with a stout rope, and we remained 
thus fastened together for the whole evening. Under which con- 
ditions " Marie " appeared, and sung and danced outside the 
cabinet, just as she had done to Sir George Sitwell, whilst her 
medium remained tied to me. So much for men who decide a 
matter before they have sifted it to the bottom. Mrs. Elgie Cor- 
ner has long since given up mediumship either private or public, 
and lives deep down in the heart of Wales, where the babble and 
scandal of the city affect her no longer. But she told me, only 
last year, that she would not pass through the suffering she had 
endured on account of Spiritualism for all the good this world 
could give her. 

THE DOCTOR. 

I wonder if it has struck any of my readers as strange that 
during all these manifestations in England and America I had 
never seen the form, nor heard the voice of my late father, Cap- 
tain Marryat. Surely if these various media lived by trickery 
and falsehood, and wished successfully to deceive me, some of 
them would have thought of trying to represent a man so well 
known, and whose appearance was so familiar. Other celebrated 
men and women have come back and been recognized from their 






Florence Marryat. 217 

portraits only, but, though I have sat at numbers of seances 
given for me alone, and at which I have been the principal per- 
son, my father has never reappeared at any. Especially, if these 
manifestations are all fraud, might this have been expected in 
America. Captain Marryat's name is still " a household word " 
amongst the Americans, and his works largely read and appreci- 
ated, and wherever I appeared amongst them I was cordially 
welcomed on that account. When once I had acknowledged my 
identity and my views on Spiritualism, every medium in Boston 
and New York had ample time to get up an imitation of my 
father for my benefit, had they desired to do so. But never has 
he appeared to me; never have I been told that he was present. 
Twice only in the whole course of my experience have I received 
the slightest sign from him, and on those occasions he sent me 
a message — once through Mr. Fletcher (as I have related) and 
once through his grandson - and my son, Frank Marryat. This 
time he told me he should never appear to me and I need never 
expect him. But since the American media knew nothing of this 
strictly private communication, and I had seen before I parted 
with them, seventeen of my friends and relations, none of whom 
(except "Florence," " Powles," and "Emily") I had ever seen 
in England, it is at the least strange, considering his popularity 
(and granted their chicanery), that Captain Marryat was not 
amongst them. 

As soon as I became known at the Berry's seances, several 
people introduced themselves to me, and amongst others Mrs. 
Isabella Beecher Hooker, the sister of Mrs. Harriet Beecher 
Stowe and Henry Ward Beecher. She was delighted to find 
me so interested in Spiritualism, and anxious I should sit with 
a friend of hers, a great medium whose name became so rubbed 
out in my pencil notes, that I am not sure if it was Dr. Carter, 
or Carteret, and therefore I shall speak of him here simply as 
" the doctor." The doctor was bound to start for Washington 
the following afternoon, so Mrs. Hooker asked me to breakfast 
with her the next morning, by which time she would have found 
out if he could spare us an hour before he set out on his journey. 
When I arrived at her house I heard that he had very obligingly 
offered to give me a complimentary seance at eleven o'clock, so, 



2i 8 Book of Knowledge. 

as soon as we had finished breakfast, we set out for his abode. 
I found the doctor was quite a young man, and professed him- 
self perfectly ignorant on the subject of Spiritualism. He said 
to me, " I don't know and I don't profess to know what or who 
it is that appears to my sitters whilst I am asleep. I know noth- 
ing of what goes on except from hearsay. I don't know whether 
the forms that appear are spirits, or transformations, or material- 
izations. You must judge of that for yourself. There is one 
peculiarity in my seances. They take place in utter darkness. 
When the apparitions (or whatever you choose to call them), 
appear, they must bring their own lights or you won't see them, 
I have no conductor to my seances. If whatever comes can't 
announce itself it must remain unknown. But I think you will 
find that, as a rule, they can shift for themselves. This is my 
seance room." 

As he spoke he led us into an unfurnished bedroom, I say 
bedroom, because it was provided with the dressing closet fitted 
with pegs usual to all bedrooms in America. This closet the 
doctor used as his cabinet. The door was left open, and there 
was no curtain hung before it. The darkness he sat in rendered 
that unnecessary. The bedroom was darkened by two frames, 
covered with black American cloth, which fitted into the windows. 
The doctor having locked the bedroom door delivered the key 
to me. He then requested us to go and sit for a few minutes in 
the cabinet to throw our influence about it. As we did so we 
naturally examined it. It was only a large cupboard. It had 
no window and no door, except that which led into the room, 
and no furniture except a cane-bottomed chair. When we re- 
turned to the seance room, the doctor saw us comfortably estab- 
lished on two armchairs before he put up the two black frames 
to exclude the light. The room was then pitch dark, and the 
doctor had to grope his way to his cabinet. Mrs. Hooker and 
I sat for some minutes in silent expectation. Then we heard 
the voice of a negress, singing " darkey " songs, and my friend 
told me it was that of " Rosa," the doctor's control. Presently 
" Rosa " was heard to be expostulating with, or encouraging some 
one, and faint lights, like sparks from a fire could be seen 
floating about the open door of the cabinet. Then the lights 



Florence Marryat. 219 

seemed to congregate together, and cluster about a tall form, 
dressed in some misty material, standing just outside the cabinet. 
" Can't you tell us who you are ? " asked Mrs. Hooker. " You 
must tell your name, you know," interposed " Rosa," whereupon 
a low voice said, " I am Janet E. Powles." 

Now this was an extraordinary coincidence. I had seen Mrs. 
Powles, the mother of my friend " John Powles," only once, 
when she travelled from Liverpool to London to meet me on 
my return from India, and hear all the particulars of her son's 
death. v But she continued to correspond with me, and show me 
kindness till the day of her own death, and as she had a daughter 
of the same name, she always signed herself " Janet E. Powles." 
Even had I expected to see the old lady and published the fact 
in the Boston papers, that initial E would have settled the ques- 
tion of her identity in my mind. 

" Mrs. Powles ! " I exclaimed, " how good of you to come 
and see me." " Johnny has helped me to come," she replied. " He 
is so happy at having met you again. He has been longing for 
it for so many years, and I have come to thank you for making 
him happy." (Here was another coincidence. "John Powles" 
was never called anything but " Powles " by my husband and 
myself. But his mother had retained the childish name of 
" Johnny," and I could remember how it used to vex him when 
she used it in her letters to him. He would say to me, " If she 
would only call me ' John ' or l Jack/ or anything but * Johnny.' ") 
I replied, " I may not leave my seat to go to you. Will you not 
come to me ? " For the doctor had requested us not to leave 
our seats, but to insist on the spirits approaching us. " Mrs. 
Powles " said, " I cannot come out further into the room to-day. 
I am too weak. But you shall see me." The lights then appeared 
to travel about her face and dress till they became stationary, 
and she was completely revealed to view under the semblance 
of her earthly likeness. She smiled and said, " We were all at 
the Opera House on Thursday night, and rejoiced at your 
success. ' Johnny ' was so proud of you. Many of your friends 
were there beside ourselves." 

I then saw that, unlike the spirits at Miss Berry's, the form 
of " Mrs. Powles " was draped in a kind of filmy white, over a 



220 Book of Knowledge. 

dark dress. All the spirits that appeared with the doctor were 
so clothed, and I wondeied if the filmy substance had anything 
to do with the lights, which looked like electricity. An incident 
which occurred further on seemed to confirm my idea. When 
" Mrs. Powles " had gone, which we guessed by the extinguish- 
ing of the light, the handsome face and form of " Harry Mon- 
tagu " appeared. I had known him well in England, before he 
took his fatal journey to America, and could never be mistaken 
in his sweet smile and fascinating manner. He did not come fur- 
ther than the door, either, but he was standing within twelve or 
fourteen feet of us for all that. He only said, " Good luck to 
you. We can't lose interest in the old profession, you know, 
any more than in the old people." " I wish you'd come and help 
me, Harry/' I answered. " Oh, I do ! " he said brightly ; " sev- 
eral of us do. We are all links of the same chain. Half the in- 
spiration in the world comes from those who have gone before. 
But I must go! I'm getting crowded out. Here's Ada waiting 
to see you. Good-bye ! " And as his light went out, the sweet 
face of Adelaide Neilson appeared in his stead. She said, " You 
wept when you heard of my death ; and yet you never knew me. 
How was that ? " " Did I weep ? " I answered, half forgetting ; 
" if so, it must have been because I thought it so sad that a 
woman so young, and beautiful, and gifted as you were should 
leave the world so soon." " Oh, no ! not sad, " she answered, 
brightly ; " glorious ! glorious ! I would not be back again for 
worlds." " Have you ever seen your grave ? " I asked her. She 
shook her head. " What are graves to us ? Only cupboards, 
where you keep our cast-off clothes." " You don't ask me what 
the world says about you now," I said to her. " And I don't 
care," she answered. " Don't you forget me ! Good-bye ! " 

She was succeeded by a spirit who called herself " Charlotte 
Cushman," and who spoke to me kindly about my professional 
life. Mrs. Hooker told me that, to the best of her knowledge, 
none of these three spirits had ever appeared under the doctor's 
mediumship before. But now came out " Florence," dancing 
into the room — literally dancing, holding out in both hands the 
skirt of a dress, which looked as if it were made of the finest 
muslin or lace, and up and down which fire-flys were darting with 



Florence Marryat. 221 

marvellous rapidity. She looked as if clothed in electricity, and 
infinitely well pleased with herself. " Look ! " she exclaimed, 
"look at my dress! Isn't it lovely? Look at the fire! The 
more I shake it, the more fire comes ! Oh, mother ! if you could 
only have a dress like this for the stage, what a sensation you 
would make ! " And she shook her skirts about, till the fire 
seemed to set a light to every part of her drapery, and she looked 
as if she were in flames. I observed, " I never knew you to take 
so much interest in your dress before, darling.'"' " Oh, it isn't the 
dress," she replied; " it's the fire!" And she really appeared as 
charmed with the novel experience as a child with a new toy. 

As she left us, a dark figure advanced into the room, and 
ejaculated, " Ma ! ma ! " I recognized at once the peculiar inton- 
ation and mode of address of my stepson, Francis Lean, with 
whom, since he had announced his own death to me, I had had 
no communication, except through trance mediumship. " Is that 
you, my poor boy ? " I said, " come closer to me. You are not 
afraid of me, are you ? " " O no, Ma ! of course not, only I was 
at the Opera House, you know, with the others, and that piece 
you recited, Ma — you know the one — it's all true, Ma — and I don't 
want you to go back to England. Stay here, Ma — stay here ! " 
I knew perfectly well to what the lad alluded, but I would not 
enter upon it before a stranger. So I only said, " You forget my 
children, Francis — what would they say if I never went home 
again?" This seemed to puzzle him, but after a while he 
answered, " Then go to them, Ma ; go to them" All this time 
he had been talking in the dark, and I only knew him by the 
sound of his voice. I said, " Are you not going to show your- 
self to me, Francis? It is such a long time since we met." 
" Never since you saw me at the docks. That was me, Ma, and 
at Brighton, too, only you didn't half believe it till you heard 
I was gone." " Tell me the truth of the accident, Francis," 
I asked him. "Was there foul play?" "No," he replied, 
" but we got quarrelling about her you know, and fighting, 
and that's how the boat upset. It was my fault, Ma, as much 
as anybody else's." 

" How was it your body was never found ? " " It got dragged 
down in an undercurrent, Ma. It was out at Cape Horn before 



222 Book of Knowledge. 

they offered a reward for it." Then he began to light up, and as 
soon as the figure was illuminated I saw the boy was dressed 
in " jumpers " and " jersey " of dark woolen material, such as 
they wear in the merchant service in hot climates, but over it all 
— his head and shoulders included — was wound a quantity of 
flimsy white material I have before mentioned. " I can't bear 
this stuff. It makes me look like a girl," said Francis, and with 
his hands he tore it off. Simultaneously the illumination ceased, 
and he was gone. I called him by name several times, but no 
sound came out of the darkness. It seemed as though the veiling 
which he disliked preserved his materialization, and that, with 
its protection removed, he had dissolved again. 

When another dark figure came out of the cabinet, and ap- 
proaching me, knelt at my feet, I supposed it to be " Francis " 
come back again, and laying my hand on the bent head, I asked, 
" Is this you again, dear ? " A strange voice answered, with the 
words, "Forgive! forgive!" "Forgive! " I repeated, "what 
have I to forgive ? " " The attempt to murder your husband in 
1856. Arthur Yelverton Brooking has forgiven. He is here 
with me now. Will you forgive, too?" "Certainly," I replied, 
" I have forgiven long ago. You expiated your sin upon the 
gallows. You could do no more." 

The figure sprung into a standing position, and lit up from 
head to foot, when I saw the two men standing together. Arthur 
Yelverton Brooking and the Madras sepoy who had murdered 
him. I never saw anything more brilliant than the appearance 
of the sepoy. He was dressed completely in white, in the native 
costume, with a white puggree or turban on his head. But his 
puggree was flashing with jewels — strings of them were hung 
round his neck — and his sash held a magnificent jewelled dagger. 
You must please to remember that I was not alone, but that this 
sight was beheld by Mrs. Hooker as well as myself (to whom 
it was as unexpected as to her), and that I know she would testify 
to it to-day. And now to explain the reason of these unlooked- 
for apparitions. 

In 1856, my husband, then Lieutenant Ross-Church, was Ad- 
jutant of the 12th Madras Native Infantry, and Arthur Yelverton 
Brooking, who had for some time done duty with the 12th, was 



Florence Marry at. 223 

adjutant of another native corps, both of which were stationed 
at Madrass. Lieutenant Church was not a favorite with his 
men, by whom he was considered a martinet, and one day when 
there had been a review on the island at Madras, and the two 
adjutants were riding home together, a sepoy of the 12th fired 
at Lieutenant Church's back with intent to kill him, but unfor- 
tunately the bullet struck Lieutenant Brooking instead, who, 
after lingering for twelve hours, died, leaving a young wife and a 
baby behind him. For this offence the sepoy was tried and hung, 
and on his trial the whole truth of course came out. This, then, 
was the reason that the spirits of the murderer and the murdered 
came like friends, because the injury had never been really in- 
tended for Brooking. 

When I said that I had forgiven, the sepoy became (as I 
have told) a blaze of light, and then knelt again and kissed the 
hem of my dress. As he knelt there, he became covered or heaped 
over with a mass of that same filmy drapery that enveloped 
" Francis,'' and when he arose again he was standing in a cloud. 
He gathered an end of it, and laying it on my head he wound 
me and himself round and round with it, until we were bound 
up in a kind of cocoon. Mrs. Hooker, who watched the whole 
proceeding, told me afterwards that she had never seen anything 
like it before — she could distinctly see the dark face and the 
white face close together all the time beneath the drapery, and 
that I was as brightly illuminated as the spirit. Of this I was 
not aware myself, but his brightness almost dazzled me. 

Let me observe also that I have been in the East Indies, and 
within a few yards' length of sepoys, and that I am sure I could 
never have been wrapt in the same cloth with a mortal one 
without having been painfully aware of it in more ways than 
one. The spirit did not unwind me again, although the winding 
process had taken him some time. He whisked off the wrapping 
with one pull and I stood alone once more. I asked him by what 
name I should call him, and he said, " Spirit of Light." He then 
expressed a wish to magnetize something I wore, so as to be the 
better able to approach me. I gave him a brooch containing 
" John Powles' " hair, which his mother had given me after his 
death, and he carried it back into the cabinet with him. It was 



224 Book of Knowledge. 

a valuable brooch of onyx and pearls, and I was hoping my 
eastern friend would not carry it too far, when I found it had 
been replaced and fastened at my throat without my being aware 
of the circumstance. " Arthur Yelverton Brooking " had dis- 
appeared before this, and neither of them came back again. 
These were not all the spirits that came under the doctor's 
mediumship during that seance, but only those whom I had 
known and recognized. Several of Mrs. Hooker's friends ap- 
peared and some of the doctor's controls, but as I have said 
before, they could not help my narrative, and so I omit to 
describe them. The seance lasted altogether two hours, and I 
was very grateful to the doctor for giving me the opportunity 
to study an entirely new phase of the science to me. 



CHAPTER IX. 

A RECORD OF AUTHENTIC APPARITIONS. 

(From the Christmas number of the Review of Reviews. Col- 
lated and edited by W. T. Stead.) 

" I merely mean to say what Johnson said, 
That, in the course of some six thousand years, 
All nations have believed that from the dead 
A visitant at intervals appears. 

And what is strangest upon this strange head 
Is, that whatever bar the reason rears 
'Gainst such belief, there's something stronger still 
In its behalf, let those deny who will." 

Byron. 

ROYAL. 

" Henry the Fourth, of France, told d'Aubigne (see d'Aubigne 
" Histoire Universelle ") that in presence of himself, the Arch- 
bishop of Lyons and three ladies of the court, the Queen (Mar- 
garet of Valois) saw the apparition of a certain cardinal after- 
wards found to have died at that moment. Also he (Henry 
the Fourth) was warned of his approaching end not long before 
he was murdered by Ravaillac, by meeting an apparition in a 
thicket in Fontainebleau. (" Sully's Memoirs.") 

Abel the Fratricide, King of Denmark, was buried in un- 
consecrated ground, and still haunts the wood of Poole, near 
the city of Sleswig. 

Valdemar the Fourth haunts Gurre Wood near Elsinore. 

Charles the Eleventh, of Sweden, accompanied by his cham- 
berlain and state physician, witnessed the trial of the assassin of 
Gustavus the Third, which occurred nearly a century later. 



226 Book of Knowledge. 

James the Fourth, of Scotland, after vespers in the chapel 
of Linlithgow, was warned by an apparition against his intended 
expedition into England. He, however, proceeded, and was 
warned again at Jedburgh, but persisting, fell at Flodden Field. 

Charles the First, of England, when resting at Daventree 
on the eve of the battle of Naseby, was twice visited by the ap- 
parition of Strafford, warning him not to meet the Parlia- 
mentary Army, then quartered at Northampton. Being per- 
suaded by Prince Rupert to disregard the warning, the King 
set off to march northward, but was surprised on the route and 
a disastrous defeat followed. 

Orleans, Duke of, brother of Louis Fourteenth, called his 
eldest son (afterwards regent) by his second title, Due de 
Chartres, in preference to the more usual one of Due de Valois. 
This change is said to have been in consequence of a communi- 
cation made before his birth by the apparition of his father's 
first wife, Henrietta of England, reported to have been poisoned. 

HISTORICAL WOMEN. 

Elizabeth, Queen, is said to have been warned of her death 
by the apparition of her own double. (So, too, Sir Robert 
Napier and Lady Diana Rich.) 

Catherine de Medecis saw, in a vision, the battle of Jarnac, 
and cried out, " Do you not see the Prince of Conde dead in 
the hedge?" This and many similar stories are told by Mar- 
garet of Valois in her " Memoirs." 

Philippa, wife of the Duke of Lorraine, when a girl in a 
convent, saw a vision in the battle of Pavia, then in progress, 
and the captivity of the king, her cousin, and called on the nuns 
about her to pray. 

Joan of Arc was visited and directed by various saints, in- 
cluding the Archangel Michael, St. Catherine, St. Margaret, 
etc. 

LORD CHANCELLORS. 

Erskine, Lord, himself relates (Lady Morgan's " Book of 
the Boudoir," 1829, Vol. I., 123) that the spectre of his father's 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 227 

butler, whom he did not know to be dead, appeared to him in 
broad daylight, " to meet your honor," so it explained, " and to 
solicit your interference with my lord to recover a sum due to 
me which the steward at the last settlement did not pay," which 
proved to be a fact. 



CABINET MINISTERS. 

Buckingham, Duke of, was exhorted to amendment and 
warned of approaching assassination by an apparition of his 
father, Sir George Villiers, who was seen by Mr. Towers, sur- 
veyor of works at Windsor. All occurred as foretold. 

Castlereagh, Lord (who succeeded Perceval Spencer as For- 
eign Secretary), when a young man quartered with his regiment 
in Ireland, saw the apparition of " The Radiant Boy," said to 
be an omen of good. Sir Walter Scott speaks of him as one 
of two persons " of sense and credibility, who both attested 
supernatural appearances on their own evidence." 

Peel, Sir Robert, and his brother both saw Lord Byron in 
London in 18 10, while he was in fact lying dangerously ill at 
Patras. During the same fever he also appeared to others, 
and was even seen to write down his name among the inquirers 
after the king's health. 



EMPERORS. 

Trajan, Emperor, was extricated from Antioch during an 
earthquake by a spectre which drove him out of a window. 
(" Dio Cassius," lib. lxviii). 

Caracalla, Emperor, was visited by the ghost of his father, 
Severus. 

Julian the Apostate, Emperor (1), when hesitating to accept 
the empire, saw a female figure, " The Genius of the Empire," 
who said she would remain with him, but not for long. (2.) 
Shortly before his death he saw his genius leave him with a 
dejected air. (3.) He saw a phantom prognosticating the death 
of the Emperor Constans. (See S. Basil.) 



228 Book of Knowledge. 

SOLDIERS. 

Curtius Rufus (pro-consul of Africa) is reported by Pliny to 
have been visited, while still young and unknown, by a gigantic 
female, the genius of Africa, who foretold his career. (" Pliny," 
b. VII, letter 26.) 

Julius Caesar was marshalled across the Rubicon by a spectre 
which seized a trumpet from one of the soldiers and sounded an 
alarm. 

Xerxes, after giving up the idea of carrying war into Greece, 
was persuaded to the expedition by the apparition of a young 
man, who also visited Artabanus, uncle to the king, when upon 
Xerxes request Artabanus assumed his robe and occupied his 
place. (Herodotus, VII.) 

Brutus was visited by a spectre, supposed to be that of 
Julius Caesar, who announced that they would meet again at 
Philippi, where he was defeated in battle and put an end to his 
own life. 

Drusus, when seeking to cross the Elbe, was deterred by a 
female spectre who told him to turn back and meet his ap- 
proaching end. He died before reaching the Rhine. 

Pausanius, General of the Lacedaemonians, inadvertently 
caused the death of a young lady of good family, who haunted 
him day and night, uging him to give himself up to justice. 
(Plutarch in Simone.) 

Dio, General of Syracuse, saw a female apparition sweeping 
furiously in his house to denote that his family would shortly 
be swept out of Syracuse, which through various accidents was 
shortly the case. 

Napoleon, at St. Helena, saw and conversed with the ap- 
parition of Josephine, who warned him of his approaching 
death. The story is related by Count Montholon, to whom he 
told it. 

Blucher, on the very day of decease, related to the King of 
Prussia that he had been warned by the apparition of his entire 
family of his approaching end. 

Fox, General, went to Flanders with the Duke of York 
shortly before the birth of his son. Two years later he had a 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 229 

vision of the child — dead — and correctly described its appear- 
ance and surroundings, though the death occurred in a house 
unknown to him. 

Garfield, General, when a child of six or seven, saw and 
conversed with his father, lately deceased. He also had a pre- 
monition, which proved correct, as to the date of his death — 
the anniversary of the battle of Chicamauga, in which he took 
a brave part. 

Lincoln, President, had a certain premonitory dream which 
occurred three times in relation to important battles and the 
fourth on the eve of his assassination. 

Coligni, Admiral, was three times warned to quit Paris be- 
fore the Feast of St. Bartholomew, but disregarded the pre- 
monition and perished in the massacre. (1572.) 

MEN OF LETTERS. 

Petrarch saw the apparition of the bishop of his diocese at 
the moment of death. 

Epimenides, a poet contemporary with Solon, is reported by 
Plutarch to have quitted his body at will and to have conversed 
with spirits. 

Dante, Jacobo, son of the poet, was visited in a dream by his 
father, who conversed with him and told him where to find the 
missing thirteen cantos of the " Commedia." 

Tasso saw and conversed with beings invisible to those 
about him. 

Goethe saw his own double riding by his side under con- 
ditions which really occurred years later. His father, mother 
and grandmother were all ghost-seers. 

Donne, Dr., when in Paris saw the apparition of his wife in 
London carrying a dead child at the very hour a dead infant 
was in fact born. 

Byron, Lord, is said to have seen the Black Friar of New- 
stead on the eve of his ill-fated marriage. Also with others he 
saw the apparition of Shelley walk into a wood at Lerici, though 
they knew him at the time to be several miles away. 

Shelley, while in a state of trance, saw a figure wrapped in 



230 Book of Knowledge. . 

a cloak which beckoned to him and asked, " Siete soddisfatto? " 
— are you satisfied? 

Benvenuto Cellini, when in captivity in Rome at order of 
the Pope, was dissuaded from suicide by the apparition of a 
young man who frequently visited and encouraged him. 

Mozart was visited by a mysterious person who ordered him 
to compose a requiem, and came frequently to inquire after its 
progress, but disappeared on its completion, which occurred 
just in time for its performance at Mozart's own funeral. 

Ben Johnson, when staying at Sir Robert Cotton's house, 
was visited by the apparition of his eldest son with a mark of a 
bloody cross upon his forehead at the moment of his death by 
the plague. He himself told the story to Drummond of Haw- 
thornden. 

Thackeray, W. M., writes : " It is all very well for you who 
have probably never seen spirit manifestations to talk as you 
do, but had you seen what I have witnessed you would hold a 
different opinion." 

Mrs. Browning's spirit appeared to her sister with warning 
of death. Robert Browning writes, Tuesday, July 21, 1863, 
" Arabel (Miss Barrett) told me yesterday that she had been 
much agitated by a dream which happened the night before — 
Sunday, July 19th. She saw her and asked, ' When shall I be 
with you ? ' The reply was, ' Dearest, in five years,' whereupon 
Arabel awoke. She knew in her dream that it was not to the 
living she spoke." In five years, within a month of their com- 
pletion, Miss Barrett died and Browning writes, " I had for- 
gotten the date of the dream and supposed it was only three 
years, and that two had still to run." 

Dr. Guthrie was directed by repeated pullings at his coat to 
go in a certain direction, contrary to previous intentions, and 
was thus the means of saving the life of a parishioner. 

Miller, Hugh, tells in his " Schools and Schoolmasters," of 
the apparition of a bloody hand, seen by himself and the servant 
but not by the others present. Accepted as a warning of the 
death of his father. 

Porter, Anna Marie, when living in Esher was visited one 
afternoon by an old gentleman, a neighbor, who frequently came 



1 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 231 

[ 
in to tea. On this occasion he left the room without speaking, 

and fearing that something had happened, she sent to inquire 

and found that he had died at the moment of his appearance. 

Edgworth, Maria, was waiting with her family for an ex- 
pected guest when the vacant chair was suddenly occupied by 
the apparition of a sailor cousin who stated that his ship had 
been wrecked and he alone saved. The event proved the con- 
trary — he alone was drowned. 

Marryat, Captain, — the story is told by his daughter — while 
staying in a country house in the north of England, saw the 
family ghost — an ancestress of the time of Queen Elizabeth who 
had poisoned her husband. He tried to shoot her but the ball 
passed harmlessly into the door behind, and the lady faded away, 
always smiling. 

De Stael, Madame, was haunted by the spirit of her father, 
who counselled and helped her in all times of need. 

L. E. L.'s ghost was seen by Dr. Madden in the room in 
which she died at Cape Coast Castle. 

De Morgan, Professor, writes : "I am perfectly convinced 
that I have both seen and heard, in a manner that should make 
unbelief impossible, things called spiritual, which cannot be 
taken by a rational being to be capable of explanation by im- 
posture, coincidence or mistake." 

Foote, Samuel, in the year 1740, while visiting at his father's 
house in Truro, was kept awake by sounds of sweet music. His 
uncle was about the same time murdered by assassins. 

MEN OF SCIENCE. 

Davy, Sir Humphrey, when a young man suffering from 
yellow fever on the Gold Coast, was comforted by visions of his 
guardian angel who, years after, appeared to him again, incar- 
nate, in the person of his nurse during his last illness. 

Harvey, William, the discoverer of the circulation of the 
blood, used to relate that his life was saved by a dream. When 
a young man he was proceeding to Padua, when he was detained 
— with no reason alleged — by the Governor at Dover. The ship 
was wrecked and all on board lost, and it was then explained 



232 Book of Knowledge. 

that the Governor had received orders, in a dream, to prevent 
a person to whose description Harvey answered from going 
on board that night. 

Farquhar, Sir Walter, physician (made a baronet in 1796), 
visited a patient at Pomeroy Castle. While waiting alone a 
lady appeared to him exhibiting agony and remorse (who 
proved to be the family ghost) prognosticating the death of the 
patient which followed. 

Clark, Sir James, wife of, while living in their house in 
Brook Street, saw the apparition of her son, Dr. J. Clark, then 
in India, carrying a dead baby wrapped in an Indian shawl. 
Shortly afterwards he did, in fact, send home a body of a dead 
child for interment which had died at the hour noted. To fill 
up the coffin it was wrapped up in an Indian scarf. 

Herbert of Cherbury, Lord, one of the first to systematize 
deism, when in doubt whether he should publish his " De Veri- 
tate," as advised by Grotius, prayed for a sign and heard sounds 
" like nothing on earth, which did so comfort and cheer me 
that I took my petition as granted." 

Bacon, Francis, was warned in a dream of his father's ap- 
proaching end which occurred in a few days. 



THEOLOGIANS. 

Luther, Martin, was visited by an apparition, one, according 
to Melancthon, who announced his coming by knocking at the 
door. 

Melancthon says that the apparition of a venerable person 
came to him in his study and told him to warn his friend Gry- 
naeus to escape at once from the danger of the Inquisition, a 
warning which saved his life. 

Zwingli was visited by an apparition " with a perversion of 
a text of Scripture." 

Oberlin, Pastor, was visited almost daily by his deceased 
wife, who conversed with him and was visible not only to him- 
self but to all about him. 

Newman, Cardinal, relates in a letter, January 3, 1833, that 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 233 

when in quarantine in Malta he and his companions heard foot- 
steps not to be accounted for by human agency. 

Wilberforce, Bishop, experienced remarkable premonitions, 
and phenomena even more startling are attributed to him. 



SAINTS. 

The stories of visions, apparitions, etc., which are told in 
connection with the saints are far too numerous to quote. The 
following, however, may be referred to as of special interest : 

1. (Phantasms of the Living.) St. Ignatius Loyola, Gen- 
nadius (the friend of St. Augustine), St. Augustine himself, 
twice over (he tells the story himself, Serm. 233), St. Benedict, 
and St. Meletius all appeared during life in places distant from 
their actual bodily whereabouts. 

2. (Phantasms of the Dead.) St. Anselm saw the slain body 
of William Rufus, St. Basil that of Julian the Apostate, St. 
Benedict the ascent to heaven of the soul of St. Germanus, 
Bishop of Capua — all at the moment of death. St. Augustine 
and St. Edmund, Archbishops of Canterbury, are said to have 
conversed with spirits. St. Ambrose and St. Martin of Tours 
received information of relics from the original owners of the 
remains. 

3. (Premonitions). St. Cyprian and St. Columba each fore- 
told the date and manner of his own death, as revealed in 
visions. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Harcourt, Countess, when Lady Nuneham, mentioned one 
morning having had an agitating dream, but was met with 
ridicule. Later in the day Lord Harcourt, her husband's father, 
was missing. She exclaimed, " Look in the well," and fainted 
away. He was found there with a dog which he had been try- 
ing to save. 

Aksakoff, Madame, wife of Chancellor Aksakoff, on the 
night of May 12, 1855, saw the apparition of her brother who 
died at that time. The story is one very elaborate as to detail. 



234 Book of Knowledge. 

Rich, Lady Diana, was warned of her death by a vision of 
her own double in the avenue of Holland House. 

Breadalbane, Lady, May, her sister (both daughters of Lord 
Holland), was also warned in vision of her death. 

The daughter of Sir Charles Lee. This story related by the 
Bishop of Gloucester, 1662, is very well known. On the eve 
of her intended marriage with Sir. W. Perkins she was visited 
by her mother's spirit announcing her approaching death at 
twelve o'clock the next day. She occupied the intervening time 
with suitable preparations and died calmly at the hour foretold. 

Beresford, Lady, wife of Sir Tristam, before her marriage 
in 1687 made a secret engagement with Lord Tyrone that which 
ever should die first should appear to the other. He fulfilled 
his promise on October 15, 1693, and warned her of her death 
on her forty-eighth birthday. All was kept secret, but after the 
fated day had past she married a second time and appeared to 
enter on a new lease of life. Two years later, when celebrating 
her birthday, she accidentally discovered that she was two years 
younger than she had supposed, and expired before night. The 
story is one of the best known, and most interesting in ghost- 
lore. 

Fanshawe, Lady, when visiting in Ireland, heard the banshee 
of the family with whom she was visiting, one of whom did in 
fact die during the night. She also relates (in her " Memoirs," 
p. 28) that her mother once lay as dead for two days and a 
night. On her return to life she informed those about her 
that she had asked of two apparitions, dressed in long white 
garments, for leave, like Hezekiah, to live for fifteen years to 
see her daughter grow up and that it was granted. She died 
in fifteen years from that time. 

Maidstone, Lady, saw a fly of fire as premonitory of the 
deaths, first of her husband, who died in a sea fight with the 
Dutch, May 28, 1672, and second, of her mother-in-law, Lady 
Winchilsea. 

Chedworth, Lord, was visited by a friend and fellow skeptic, 
saying he had died that night and realized the existence of an- 
other world. While relating the vision the news arrived of his 
friend's death. 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 235 

Rambouillet, Marquis of, had just the same experience. A 
fellow unbeliever, his cousin, the Marquis de Precy, visited him 
in Paris, saying that he had been killed in battle in Flanders, 
and predicting his cousin's death in action, which shortly oc- 
curred in the battle of the Faubourg St. Antoine. (Quoted by 
Calmet from " Causes Celebres," xi, 370.) 

Lyttleton, Lord (third), died November 27, 1799, was warned 
of his death three days earlier and exhorted to repentance. The 
story, very widely quoted, first appeared in the " Gentleman's 
Magazine," Vol. LXXXV, 597. He also himself appeared to 
Mr. Andrews, at Dartford Mills, who was expecting a visit from 
him at the time. 

Middleton, Lord, was taken prisoner by the Roundheads 
after the battle of Worcester. While in prison he was com- 
forted by the apparition of the laird Bocconi, whom he had 
known while trying to make a party for the king in Scotland, 
and who assured him of his escape in two days, which occurred. 

Balcarres, Lord, when confined in Edinburgh Castle on sus- 
picion of Jacobitism, was visited by the apparition of Viscount 
Dundee — shot at that moment at Killiecrankie. 

Holland, Lord (the first), who was taken prisoner at the 
battle of St. Neot's in 1624, is said still to haunt Holland House, 
dressed in the cap and clothes in which he was executed. 

Shelburne, Lord, eldest son of the Marquis of Lansdowne, 
is said, in Mrs. Schimmelpenninck's " Memoirs," to have had 
when five years old, a premonitory vision of his own funeral, 
with full details as to stoppages, etc. Dr. Priestly was sent 
for and treated the child for slight fever. When about to visit 
his patient (whom he expected to find recovered) a few days 
later, he met the child running bareheaded in the snow. When 
he approached to rebuke him, the figure disappeared, and he 
found that the boy had died at that moment. The funeral was 
arranged by the father, then at a distance, exactly in accord- 
ance with the premonition. 

Chesterfield, Earl of (second), in 1652, saw, on walking, a 
spectre with long white robes and black face. Accepting it as 
an intimation of some illness of his wife, then visiting her father 
at Networth, he set off early to inquire, and met a servant with 
a letter from Lady Chesterfield describing the same apparition. 



236 Book of Knowledge. 

Swift, Edmund Lenthal, keeper of the crown jewels from 
1814, himself relates (in " Notes and Queries," i860, p. 192), 
the appearance in Anne Boleyn's chamber in the Tower, of " a 
cylindrical figure like a glass tube, hovering between the table 
and the ceiling," visible to himself and his wife, but not to 
others present. 

The preceding incidents simply record a prevision of places 
subsequently visited. The following are instances in which not 
only places but occurrences were seen as in a camera, by per- 
sons at a distance varying from a hundred and fifty to several 
thousand miles. Space seems to have no existence for the 
clairvoyant. They are quoted from the published " Proceed- 
ings of the Psychical Research Society." 

On September 9, 1848, at the siege of Mooltan, Major- 

General R , C.B., then adjutant of his regiment, was most 

severely and dangerously wounded, and supposing himself to 
be dying, asked one of the officers with him to take the ring 
off his finger and send it to his wife, who at the time was fully 
one hundred and fifty miles distant, at Ferozepore. 

" On the night of September 9, 1848," writes his wife, " I 
was lying on my bed between sleeping and waking, when I 
distinctly saw my husband being carried off the field, seriously 
wounded, and heard his voice saying, ' Take the ring off my 
finger and send it to my wife.' All the next day I could not get 
the sight nor the voice out of my mind. In due time I heard 

of General R having been seriously wounded in the assault 

of Mooltan. He survived, however, and is still living. It was 
not for some time after the siege that I heard from General 

L , the officer who helped to carry General R off the 

field, that the request as to the ring was actually made to him, 
just as I heard it at Ferozepore at that very time." (Vol. I., 
P- 30.) 

A ROYAL DEATH-BED IN FRANCE SEEN IN SCOT- 
LAND. 

The above case is remarkable because the voice was trans- 
mitted as well as the spectacle. In the next story the ear heard 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 237 

nothing but the scene itself was very remarkable. A corre- 
spondent of the Psychical Research Society writes : 

I was staying with my mother's cousin, Mrs. Elizabeth 
Broughton, wife of Mr. Edward Broughton, Edinburgh, and 
daughter of the late Colonel Blanckley, in the year 1844, and 
she told me the following strange story : 

She awoke one night and arosed her husband, telling him 
that something dreadful had happened in France. He begged 
her to go to sleep again and not to trouble him. She assured 
him she was not asleep when she saw what she insisted on then 
telling him — what she saw in fact. First, a carriage accident, 
which she did not actually see, but what she saw was the result, 
a broken carriage, a crowd collected, a figure gently raised and 
carried into the nearest house, then a figure lying on a bed 
which she then recognized as the Duke of Orleans. Gradually 
friends collecting around the bed — among them several mem- 
bers of the French royal family — the Queen, then the King, 
all silently, tearfully, watching the evidently dying duke. One 
man (she could see his back but did not know who he was) 
was a doctor. He stood bending over the duke, feeling his 
pulse, his watch in the other hand. Then all passed away and 
she saw no more. As soon as it was daylight she wrote down 
in her journal all that she had seen. From that journal she 
read this to me. It was before the days of electric telegraph, 
and two or more days passed before the Times announced 
" The Death of the Duke of Orleans." Visiting Paris a short 
time afterward she saw and recognized the place of the acci- 
dent and received the explanation of her impression. The doc- 
tor who attended the dying duke was an old friend of hers, and 
as he watched by the bed his mind had been constantly occu- 
pied with her and her family. (Vol. XI, p. 160.) 

The doctor's sympathy may have been the key to the secret 
camera of Nature, but it in no wise " explains " how a lady in 
Edinburgh could see what went on inside a house in Paris so 
clearly as to know what had happened two days before the in- 
telligence reached the Times. 



238 Book of Knowledge. 

A CAPABLE " PSYCHOMETRIST." 

While engaged in writing these chapters my attention was 
called to a young lady, Miss Catherine Ross, of 41 High Street, 
Smethwick, Birmingham, who being left with an invalid sister 
to provide for, and without other available profession or in- 
dustry, bethought herself of a curious gift of reading character 
with which she seems to have been born, and subsequently suc- 
ceeded in earning a more or less precarious income by writing 
out character at the modest fee of five shillings. You sent her 
any article you pleased that had been in contact with the sub- 
ject, and she sent you in return a written analysis of the sub- 
ject's character. I sent her various articles from one person at 
different times, not telling her they were from the same person. 
At one time a tuft of hair from his beard, at another time a 
fragment of nail and a third time a scrap of handwriting. Each 
delineation of character differed in some point from the other 
two, but all agreed and they were all remarkably correct. When 
she sent the last she added, " I don't know how it is, but I 
feel I have described this person before." I have tried her since 
then with locks of hair from persons of the most varied disposi- 
tion, and have found her wonderfully correct. 

All these things are very wonderful, but the cumulative 
value of the evidence is too great for any one to pooh-pooh it 
as antecedently impossible. The chances against it being a 
mere coincidence are many millions to one. Strange though 
these may be, they are less strange than the cases in which the 
clairvoyant sees the past as if it were the present, and those 
other rarer cases in which the future also is unfolded to the 
gaze. 

THE BIRKBECK DOUBLE. 

One of the best authenticated cases of this kind is what is 
known as the Birkbeck Ghost. It is told as follows in the 
" Proceedings of the Psychical Research " : 

In 1789 Mrs. Birkbeck, wife of William Birkbeck, banker, of 
Settle, and a member of the Society of France, was taken ill and 
died at Cockermouth while returning from a journey to Scot- 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 239 

land, which she had undertaken alone — her husband and three 
children, aged seven, five and four years respectively, remain- 
ing in Settle. The friends at whose house the death occurred 
made notes of every circumstance attending Mrs. Birkbeck's 
last hours, so that the accuracy of the several statements as to 
time as well as place was beyond the doubtfulness of man's 
memory, or of any even unconscious attempt to bring them 
into agreement with each other. One morning between seven 
and eight o'clock the relation to whom the care of the children 
had been entrusted, and who kept a minute journal of all that 
concerned them, went into their bedroom as usual and found 
them all sitting up in bed in great excitement and delight. 
" Mamma has been here," they cried, and the little one said, 
" She called ' Come, Esther ! ' ; Nothing could make them 
doubt the fact, and it was carefully noted down to entertain the 
mother when she came home. That same morning as their 
mother lay on her dying bed at Cockermouth, she said, " I 
should be ready to go if I could but see my children." She 
then closed her eyes, to reopen them, as they thought, no more. 
But after ten minutes of perfect stillness, she looked up brightly 
and said, " I am ready now ; I have been with my children," and 
then at once peacefully passed away. When the notes taken at 
the two places were compared, the day, hour and minutes were 
the same. (Vol. I, p. 122.) 

A PARALLEL TO THE BIRKBECK DOUBLE. 

In Dr. Lees' " Glimpses of the Supernatural," there is a sim- 
ilar instance which differs only from that of the Birkbeck Ghost 
in being more recent and the distance between the mother and 
the children greater, for she was dying in Egypt when she ap- 
peared to the children in England. The story is as follows : 

A lady and her husband who held a position of some dis- 
tinction in India were returning home (A.D. 1854) after an ab- 
sence of four years to join a family of young children when the 
former was seized in Egypt with an illness of most alarming 
character; and though carefully attended by an English physi- 
cian and nursed with the greatest care, grew so weak that little 



240 Book of Knowledge. 

or no hope of her recovery existed. With that true kindness 
which is sometimes withheld around a dying bed, she was 
properly and painfully informed of her dangerous state and bid- 
den to prepare for the worst. Of a devout, pious and reveren- 
tial mind, she is reported to have made a careful preparation for 
the latter end, though no clergyman was at hand to administer 
the last sacrament or to afford spiritual consolation. The only 
point which seemed to disturb her mind after the delirium of 
fever had passed away was a deep-seated desire to see her 
absent children once more, which she frequently expressed to 
those attending upon her. Day after day, for more than a 
week, she gave utterance to her longings and prayers, remark- 
ing that she would die happily if only this one wish could be 
gratified. On the morning of the day of her departure hence, 
she fell into a long and heavy sleep, from which her attendants 
found it difficult to arouse her. During the whole period of it 
she lay perfectly tranquil. Soon after noon, however, she 
awoke, exclaiming, " I have seen them all, I have seen them. 
God be praised for Jesus Christ's sake ! " and then slept again. 
Towards evening in perfect peace and with many devout ex- 
clamations, she calmly yielded up her spirit to God who gave 
it. Her body was brought to England and buried in the family 
burying-ground. The most remarkable part of this incident 
remains to be told. The children of the dying lady were being 
educated in Torquay under the supervision of a friend of the 
family. At the very time that their mother was asleep they 
were confined to the house where they were by a severe storm 
of thunder and lightning. Two apartments on one floor, per- 
fectly distinct, were then occupied by them as play and recrea- 
tion rooms. All were thus gathered together. No one of the 
children was absent. They were amusing themselves with 
books of chance, games and toys in company of the nursemaid 
who had never seen their parents. All of a sudden their mother, 
as she usually appeared, entered the larger room of the two, 
pausing, looked for some minutes at each and smiled, passed 
into the next room and then vanished away. Three of the 
elder children recognized her at once, but were greatly im- 
pressed and disturbed at her appearance, silence and manner. 






A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 241 

The younger and the nursemaid, each and all, saw a lady in 
white come into the smaller room then slowly glide by and fade 
away. 

The date of this occurrence, September 10, 1854, was care- 
fully noted, and it was afterwards found that the two events 
above recorded happened almost contemporaneously. A record 
of the event was committed to paper and transcribed on the fly- 
leaf of the family Bible, from which the above account was 
taken and given to the editor of this book in the autumn of 
the year 1871 by a relation of the lady in question, who is well 
acquainted with her spectral appearance at Torquay, and has 
vouched for the truth of it in the most distinct and formal 
manner. The husband, who was reported to have been of a 
somewhat skeptical habit of mind, was deeply impressed by the 
occurrence, and though it is seldom referred to now, it is known 
to have had a very lasting and religious effect on more than 
one person who was permitted directly to witness it. (" Glimpses 
of the Supernatural," pp. 64-66.) 

FROM ELSINORE TO DURHAM. 

The number of apparitions of sailors is very remarkable. 
Here is one taken from Mr. Kendal's diary, told by Mr. Alder- 
man Fowler, of Durham. Mr. Fowler, who is one of the 
patriarchs of the north of England, tells the story as follows : 

I was assistant at a shop in Durham, near my present place 
of business, when a singular circumstance happened to me 
which seemed to imply that the spirits of the departed have, at 
least at the time of their departure, the power to manifest 
themselves to survivors. I have a brother whom I familiarly 
called Mat, who was a sailor, and had gone on a voyage to the 
Baltic. One Saturday afternoon I was attending to a customer, 
reckoning up an amount to be paid after serving the articles, 
when I happened to look toward the window and saw my 
brother Mat outside. Our eyes met; I smiled and nodded to 
him and said, " I will be with you presently,'* or something of 
that sort. I told my master that my brother Mat had come 
and was standing outside. I was immediately released from 



242 Book of Knowledge. 

my engagement with the customer and told that I might go to 
my brother and also bring him to sleep with me in the shop. 
When I went out into the street, expecting to see my brother 
Mat, he was nowhere to be seen. I spent all the evening seek- 
ing for him at places where he might have called, but without 
success. I was so disturbed at this that I went off home to 
Shiney Row next morning to see if they knew aught; but he 
had not been there, nor had they heard any news of him. But 
this was the astounding coincidence which I learned afterwards : 
Mat died in the hospital at Elsinore about the time when I 
saw him standing in the street in Durham. The date was 
October 21, 1837. 

Alderman Fowler, who is still living, has been five times 
Mayor of Durham. His son, named from the sailor of the 
vision, has been Mayor this year (1891). 

A story of very much the same character, describing the 
vision of a lieutenant at the moment of death, is sent me by a 
journalist at Bournemouth, but the circumstances are not such 
as call for narration at length. 

A GHOST IN A BALL-ROOM. 

Here are some other stories from the Psychical Research 
Society. One was that in which a ghost appeared in a ball- 
room and was seen by four persons at one time. The lady was 
expecting her partner at the ball, was waiting indeed for his 
coming. 

Presently as she was standing and talking to three of these 
gentlemen, Mr. D. A., Mr. R. P., and another, they all saw 
Mr. W. come into the room, look calmly, steadily at her and 
pass into the dining-room. She thought it strange that he did 
not come to speak to her, and alluded to it to the other gentle- 
men, saying she thought Mr. W. was really the rudest man she 
ever saw, and laughing followed him into the dining-room. 
There, however, he was not. The other gentleman had seen 
him as well as she, and I believe her mother also. The time 
was a quarter to ten. The whole affair piqued and vexed her 
a good deal. The next morning her father came hastily into 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 243 

the room and asked her if she had not seen Mr. W. the night 
before. She said "y es >" and that he had acted very oddly in 
only just appearing for a moment and not even speaking to 
her. Her father told her that on that very morning his body 
had been found in the river. His watch had stopped at a 
quarter to ten, which was the hour at which he had been seen 
in the ball-room. The rose Miss H. gave him was still in his 
buttonhole. 

THE LATEST RECORDED APPARITION. 

The latest ghost in our collection appeared on September 
30, 1891. The writer, who sends me his name and address, 
requests me not to publish it, inasmuch as he objects to be pes- 
tered to death by inquiries, and if it were known that he had 
seen a ghost in his present home, he would be left without any 
servants. The story is as follows: 

I am a " Popish " priest stationed in a country district, 
lead a very quiet life, and am free from excitements of any 
kind. I enjoy excellent health and, am thankful to say, possess 
a sound mind in a sound body. I am by no means super- 
stitious, and my friends describe me as an unimpressionable 
man. On the afternoon of Wednesday, the 30th of Septem- 
ber, 1891, I visited one of my sick people, a man who had been 
suffering from a chest disease for many years. I heard his 
confession and chatted with him for some time, left the house, 
promising to bring him Holy Communion the following morn- 
ing. I walked briskly home, a distance of two miles, or there- 
abouts, calling at one house on the way. I reached my cottage 
before dusk, and while my servant was preparing my tea I 
amused myself by glancing over the paper which had arrived 
by the afternoon post. While I was folding over the sheet I 
happened to look across the room. I was simply astounded 
at what I saw. It seemed as if the opposite wall had disap- 
peared. I distinctly saw poor John's (the sick man I had vis- 
ited that afternoon) bed. There was the man himself, so it 
seemed to me, sitting up in the bed and looking straight at me. 
I saw him as distinctly as I now see this paper upon which 



244 Book of Knowledge. 

I write. I was greatly astonished, but by no means frightened. 
I sat staring at the apparition for some five seconds, and then 
it gradually disappeared in much the same fashion as a " dis- 
solving view," the wall again coming back to sight as the 
other picture faded away. At first I thought that it had no 
objective reality but was purely subjective. But then John and 
his illness were not at all in my mind. I was thinking 
about what I was reading. I had often visited this partic- 
ular man, seen many sick people, and had been present at the 
death of several ; besides, I did not think that John was, as yet, 
near death. 

The next morning as I was entering the church to say mass 
1 saw John's wife in the porch, crying. " Oh, father ! " she 
cried out, " my heart is broke, O father ! John, my dear one, 
died last night and so sudden. You hadn't gone an hour 
scarce. He (John) sits up in his bed and he says, ' Is the 
father gone, Moll?' ' Why,' says I, ' didn't you say good-bye 
to he, Jack?' 'Ah, yes,' says he, 'but I wants he. I'm bad, 
Moll. I'm a dyin'i he's to say mass for me, mind that,' and 
with your name on his lips, father, he fell back — dead." I 
ascertained that it was heart disease. 

I did not mention what I saw to the woman, nor have I 
mentioned it to a single soul except to yourself. If it got 
known that I had seen a " spirit " in my house it would be 
all over with my comfort. My housekeeper would pack off, 
and I should be left to make my own bed, scrub my own house 
down and cook my own food. You must, therefore, accept my 
statement for what it is worth in your own estimation. I can 
only give you my bare word that it is quite true, that I have 
no wish to deceive, and that, as a priest of God's true Church, 
I should not so far forget my mission as to propagate a false- 
hood. 

AN IRISH OUTRAGE SEEN IN A DREAM. 

One of the best stories of clairvoyance as a means of throw- 
ing light on crime is thus told by a correspondent of the 
Psychical Research Society: 



i 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 245 

One morning in December, 1836, he had the following 
dream, or, he would prefer to call it, revelation. He found him- 
self suddenly at the gate of Major N. M.'s avenue, many miles 
from his home. Close to him was a group of persons, one of 
whom was a woman with a basket on her arm, the rest men, 
four of whom were tenants of his own, while the others were 
unknown to him. Some of the strangers seemed to be mur- 
derously assaulting H. W., one of his tenants, and he inter- 
fered. I struck violently at the man on my left, and then with 
greater violence at the man's face on my right. Finding to my 
surprise that I had not knocked down either, I struck again 
and again with all the violence of a man frenzied at the sight 
of my poor friend's murder. To my great amazement I saw 
my arms, although visible to my eye, were without substance, 
and the bodies of the men I struck at and my own came close 
together after each blow through the shadowy arms I struck 
with. My blows were delivered with more extreme violence 
than I ever think I exerted, but I became painfully convinced 
of my incompetency. I have no consciousness of what hap- 
pened after this feeling of unsubstantially came upon me. 
Next morning A. experienced the stiffness and soreness of 
violent bodily exercise, and was informed by his wife that in 
the course of the night he had much alarmed her by striking 
out again and again with his arms in a terrific manner, " as if 
fighting for his life." He in turn informed her of his dream, 
and begged her to remember the names of those actors in it 
who were known to him. On the morning of the following 
day (Wednesday) A. received a letter from his agent, who 
resided in the town close to the scene of the dream, informing 
him that his tenant had been found on Tuesday morning at 
Major N. M.'s gate, speechless and apparently dying from a 
fracture of the skull, and that there was no trace of the mur- 
derers. That night A. started for the town and arrived there 
Thursday morning. On his way to a meeting of magistrates 
he met the senior magistrate of that part of the country, and 
requested him to give orders for three men whom, besides 
H. W., he had recognized in his dream, and to have them exam- 
ined separately. This was at once done. The three men gave 



246 Book of Knowledge. 

identical accounts of the occurrence, and all named the woman 
who was with them. She was then arrested and gave precisely 
similar testimony. They said that between eleven and twelve 
on the Monday night they had been walking homewards alto- 
gether along the road when they were overtaken by three 
strangers, two of whom savagely assaulted H. W., while the 
other prevented his friends from interfering. H. W. did not 
die, but was never the same man afterward; he subsequently 
emigrated. (Vol. I, pp. 142.) 

The advantage which would accrue from the universal 
establishment of this instantaneous vision would not be un- 
mixed. That it is occasionally very useful is obvious. 

A CLAIRVOYANT VISION OF A MURDER. 

The most remarkable experiment in clairvoyant detection 
that I have ever come across is told by Dr. Blackman, of Kal- 
mar, in a recent number of the " Psychical Research Society's 
Proceedings." It is as follows: 

In the month of October, 1888, the neighborhood of Kal- 
mar was shocked by a horrible murder committed in the parish 
of Wissefjerda, which was about fifty kilometres from Kalmar 
as the crow flies. What happened was that a farmer named 
P. J. Gustafsson had been killed by a shot when driving, having 
been forced to stop by stones having been placed on the road. 
The murder had been committed in the evening and a certain 
tramp was suspected, because Gustafsson in his capacity of 
under bailiff had arrested him, and he had then undergone 
several years' penal servitude. 

This was all that I or the public knew about the case on 
November 1st of the same year. The place where the mur- 
der was committed and the persons implicated in it were quite 
unknown to me and the clairvoyant. 

On the same day, November 1st, having some reason to 
believe that such a trial would be at least partially successful, 
I experimented with a clairvoyant, Miss Agda Olsen, to try 
if it was possible to get some information in this way about 
such an event. 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 247 

The judge of the neighborhood, who had promised to be 
present, was unfortunately prevented from coming. The clair- 
voyant was hypnotized in my wife's presence and was then 
ordered to look for the place where the murder had been com- 
mitted and see the whole scene, follow the murderer in his 
flight, and describe him and his home and the motives for the 
murder. Miss Olsen then spoke as follows, in great agitation, 
sometimes using violent gestures. I took note of her exact 
words and reproduce them here fully: 

" It is between two villages — I see a road — in a wood — now 
it is coming — the gun — now he is coming along, driving — the 
horse is afraid of the stones — hold the horse ! hold the horse ! 
now ! he is killing him ! he was kneeling when he fired — blood ! 
blood ! now he is running in the wood — seize him ! — he is run- 
ning in an opposite direction to the horse in many circuits — 
not on any footpaths. He wears a cap and grey clothes — light 
— has long coarse brown hair, which has not been cut for a 
long time — grey-blue eyes — treacherous looks — great dark 
brown beard — he is accustomed to work on the land. I believe 
he has cut his right hand. He has a scar or streak between his 
thumb and forefinger. He is suspicious and a coward. 

" The murderer's home is a red wooden house, standing a 
little way back from the road. On the ground-floor is a room 
which leads into the kitchen, and from that again into the pas- 
sage. There is also a larger room which does not communi- 
cate with the kitchen. The church of Wissefjerda is situated 
obliquely to your right when you are standing in the passage. 

"His motive was enmity; he seems as if he had bought 
something — taken something — a paper. He went away from 
home at daybreak, and the murder was committed in the even- 
ing." 

Miss Olsen was then awakened, and, like all my subjects, 
she remembered perfectly what she had been seeing, which 
had made a very profound impression upon her; she added 
several things which I did not write down. 

On November 6th (Monday) I met Miss Olsen and she 
told me in great agitation that she had met the murderer 
from Wissefjerda in the street. He was accompanied by a 



248 Book of Knowledge. 

younger person and followed by two policemen, and was walk- 
ing from the police office to the jail. I at once expressed my 
doubts of her being right, partly because country people are 
generally arrested by the country police, partly because they 
are always taken directly to the jail. But when she had in- 
sisted upon it, and maintained that it was the person that she 
had seen when asleep, I went to the police office. 

I inquired if any one had been arrested on suspicion of the 
crime in question, and a police-constable answered that such 
was the case, and that as they had been taken to the town on 
Sunday, they had been kept in the police station over night, 
and after that had been obliged to go on foot to jail, accom- 
panied by two constables. The police-constable, T. A. Ljung, 
stated that Dr. Blackman described quite accurately the ap- 
pearance of the house, its furniture, how the rooms were sit- 
uated, where the suspected man lived, and gave a very correct 
account of Niklas Jonnasson's personal appearance. The doc- 
tor also asked me if I had observed that Jonnasson had a scar 
on his right hand. I had not then observed it, but since then 
I have really ascertained that it is so, and Jonnasson says he 
got it from an abscess. 

The trial was a long one and showed that Gustafsson had 
agreed to buy from Jonnasson, but in his own name, the lat- 
ter's farm, which was sold by auction on account of Jonnasson's 
debts. This is what is called a thief's bargain. Gustafsson 
bought the farm, but kept it for himself. The statements of 
the accused man were very vague; the father had prepared an 
alibi with much care, but it failed on account for just the length 
of time that was provably enough to commit the murder in. 
The son tried to prove an alibi by means of 'two witnesses, but 
these confessed that they had given false evidence, which he 
had bribed them to do when they were in prison with him on 
account of another matter. 

But though the evidence against the defendants was very 
strong it was not considered that there was sufficient legal 
evidence, and there being no jury in Sweden, they were left 
to the verdict of posterity (pp. 213-216). 



j 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 249 

MAJOR POOLE'S GHOST REPORTS HIS DEATH. 

The most remarkable of all those which are recorded by 
the Psychical Research Society is that which tells how Major 
Poole, who was killed in the battle of Lang's Neck in the 
Transvaal, reported his own death in London to his friend, 
Colonel H., many hours before the telegraphic despatches 
brought news that the battle had been fought. The story is 
so complete in itself and so remarkable in every respect that 
I quote the whole of the evidence as it stands in the Report 
of the Society. Colonel H. writes: 

February 13, 1886. 

I am not a believer in ghosts, spirit manifestations, or eso- 
teric Buddhism. It has been my lot — a lot sought by myself 
over and over again, and never falling to me by chance — to 
sleep in well-known or rather well-believed-to-'be haunted 
rooms. I have endeavored to encounter ghosts, spirits of 
beings (if you like) from another world, but like other good 
things that one seeks for in life, without success. When I 
least expected it, however, I experienced a visitation so re- 
markable in its phenomena, so realistic in its nature, so sup- 
ported by actual facts, that I was constrained at the request 
of my friend to put my experience into writing. 

The narrator then described how, nearly twenty-three years 
before, he had formed a friendship with two brother subalterns, 
J. P. and J. S., and how his intercourse with J. P. had been 
continued at intervals up to the time of the Transvaal War, 
when J. P. was ordered out upon the staff. J. S. was already 
upon the scene of action. Both had now attained major's rank, 
the narrator himself had left the service some years previously. 

In the morning that J. P. was leaving London to embark 
for the Cape he invited the narrator to breakfast with him at 
the club, and they finally parted at the club door. 

" Good-bye, old fellow," I said, " we shall meet again, I 
hope/' 

" Yes," he said, " we shall meet again." 

I can see him now as he stood smart and erect, with his 



250 Book of Knowledge. 

bright black eyes looking intently into mine. A wave of his 
hand as the hansom whirled off and he was gone. 

The Transvaal War was at its height. One night after 
reading in the library of the club I had gone to my rooms late. 
It must have been nearly one o'clock when I turned into bed. 
I had slept perhaps some three hours or more when I woke 
with a start. The grey dawn was stealing in through the 
windows and the light fell sharply and distinctly on the mili- 
tary chest of drawers that stood in the further end of the room, 
and which I had carried about with me everywhere during my 
service. Standing by my bed, between me and my chest of 
drawers, I saw a figure which in spite of the unwonted dress — 
unwonted, at least, to me — and of a full black beard, I at once 
recognized as that of my old brother officer. He had on the 
usual kharki coat worn by officers on active service in eastern 
climates, a brown leather strap, which might have been the 
strap of his field service glass, crossed his breast. A brown 
leather girdle with sword attached to his left side, and his 
revolver case on the right, passed round his waist. On his 
head he wore the ordinary white pith helmet of the service. I 
noted all these particulars in the moment that I started from 
sleep, and sat up in bed looking at him. His face was pale, 
but his black, bright eyes shone as keenly as when, a year and 
a half before, they had looked at me as he stood with one foot 
on the hansom bidding me adieu. 

Fully impressed for the brief moment that we were sta- 
tioned together at C in Ireland or somewhere, and think- 
ing that I was in my barrack-room, I said, " Hello, P. ! Am I 
late for parade ? " 

P. looked at me and replied, " I'm shot." 

" Shot ! " I exclaimed, " Good God ! How and where ? " 

" Through the lungs," replied P., and as he spoke his right 
hand moved slowly up the breast until the fingers rested upon 
the right lung. 

"What were you doing?" I asked. 

" The General sent me forward," he answered, and the right 
hand left the breast to move slowly to the front, pointing over 
my head to the window, and at the same moment the figure 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 251 

melted away. I rubbed my eyes to make sure that I was not 
dreaming and sprang out of bed. It was then 4.10 p.m. by the 
clock on my mantelpiece. 

I felt sure that my old friend was no more, and what I had 
seen was only his apparition. But yet how account for the 
voice, the ready and distinct answers? That I had seen a 
spirit, certainly something that was not flesh and blood, and 
that I had conversed with it, were alike indisputable facts. But 
how to reconcile these apparent possibilities? The thought 
disquieted me, and I longed for the hour when the club would 
open and I could get a chance of learning from the papers any 
news from the seat of war in the Transvaal. The hours passed 
feverishly. I was first at the club that morning, and snatched 
greedily at the first newspaper. No news of the war what- 
ever. 

I passed the day in a more or less unquiet mood, and talked 
over the whole circumstance with an old brother oflfcer, 
Colonel W. He was as fully impressed with the apparition as 
I was. The following morning I was again a solitary member 
at the club, and seized with avidity the first paper that came to 
my hand. This time my anxiety was painfully set at rest, for 
my eyes fell at once on the brief lines that told of the battle 
of Lang's Neck, and on the list of killed, foremost among them 
all being poor J. P. I noted the time that the battle was 
fought, calculated it with the hour at which I had seen the 
figure and found that it almost coincided. From this simple 
fact I could only surmise that the figure had appeared to me in 
London almost at the moment that the fatal bullet had done 
its work in the Transvaal. 

Two questions now arose to my mind. First, as to proof 
that poor P. happened to wear that particular uniform at the 
time of his death and whether he wore a beard — which I my- 
self had never seen him wear. Second, whether he had met 
his death in the manner indicated, viz., by a bullet through his 
right lung. The first facts I established beyond dispute about 
six months afterwards, through an officer who had been at 
the battle of Lang's Neck and had been invalided home. He 
confirmed every detail. The second fact was confirmed by 



252 Book of Knowledge. 

no less a person than J. S., more than a year after the occur- 
rence, he having also left the Cape, the war being over. On 
asking J. S. how poor P., our brother officer, was shot, he 
replied, " Just here," and his fingers travelled up his breast just 
as the fingers of the figure had done until they rested over the 
very spot, over the right lung. 

I have set down the foregoing without any attempt at em- 
bellishment, exactly as everything occurred. 

We find from the London Gazette that the battle in which 
Major P. was killed began (according to General Elley's 
despatch) at 0^30 a.m. on January 28, 1881. Major P. was 
probably killed between 11 a.m. and 12 m., which would be 
between nine arid ten in London, the difference of time being 
a little over two hours. I drew Colonel's H.'s attention to this 
point, and the impossibility that the dawn should be beginning 
at 4.10 a.m. at that time of year, and he sent the following 
reply : 

February 20, 1886. 

It may have been 7.10 and not 4.10. The impression now, 
writing after some years interval, is that it was 4.10 a.m., but I 
may be wrong. 

All I know is that I calculated the time at the time, with 
the hour at which the battle was fought, and it was to all 
practical purposes the same time. 

It was a winter morning and the blinds were down over the 
window. The morning light at 7 a.m. in a winter month com- 
ing through the blinds would not be much stronger than the 
morning light at 4 a.m. in a summer month, under the same 
circumstances. Hence I may have been mistaken in the hour, 
or the clock might have stopped unknown to me at 4.10 a.m. 
that day, or even the day before. 

The first account of the battle of Lang's Neck appeared in 
the Times, Telegraph, and Daily News of Saturday, January 29, 
1881, " No list of casualties." The first announcement of 
Major Poole's death was in a telegraphic despatch from the 
Transvaal, dated January 28th, and received by the Secretary 
of State for War in London on the 29th. " Killed : Major 
Poole, Royal Artillery," and it appeared in the Observer of Sun- 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 253 

day, January 30th, and in the three above mentioned papers 
on the 31st (Monday). 

The precise date of this vision is now irrecoverable; but 
Mr. Gurney, who discussed the matter with Colonel H v con- 
cludes that the apparition probably occurred after the death, 
and certainly occurred before the death was announced in 
England. (Vol. V, pp. 412-415.) 

A GHOST IN THE SUNLIGHT. 

Mr. Archer's vision was that of an unmistakably dead man, 
and so is the following, which I quote from the " Proceedings 
of the Psychical Research Society." The story is told by the 
Rev. Gerard Louis, of St. Paul's Vicarage, Margate. He says : 

It was a hot and bright afternoon in summer, and as if it 
were only yesterday I remember perfectly well walking down 
the broad bright street in the bright afternoon. I had to pass 
the house of P. I remarked, indeed, that all his window blinds 
were drawn carefully down, as if to screen his furniture, of 
which his wife was inordinately proud, from the despoiling rays 
of the afternoon sun. I smiled inwardly at the thought. I 
then left the road and stepped upon the side pavement, and 
looked over the area rails and into the court below. A young 
man dressed in dark clothes and without a hat, and apparently 
about twenty, was standing at the steps. On the instant, from 
his likeness to my friend P., I seemed to recognize his son. 
We both stood and looked very hard at each other. Suddenly, 
however, he advanced to that part of the area which was 
immediately below where I was standing, fixed on me a wide, 
dilated, winkless sort of stare, and halted. The desire to speak 
was evidently legible on his face, though nothing audible 
escaped his lips. But his eyes spoke — spoke as it were, in 
silent language, in which reproach and pain seemed to be 
equally intermingled. At first I was startled; and then I be- 
came angry. " Why," I said to myself, " does he look at me 
in that manner ? " At last annoyance prevailed over surprise ; 
I turned away with the half-muttered thought, " He certainly 
knows me by sight as a friend of his father, and yet he has not 



254 Book vf Knowledge. 

the civility to salute me. I will call on the first opportunity 
and ask his reason for such behavior." I then pursued my 
way and thought no more of what had occurred. 

On Wednesday it was my turn to officiate at the local 
cemetery and, to my surprise, I had to bury Mr. P.'s son. I 
lost no time in calling upon Mr. P. and his wife. I found the 
latter at home, and what she had to say only made me more 
uncomfortable still. James Henry P. died terribly in earnest, 
wishing in vain to the last that I would come, on the Thursday 
before the Sunday on which I had seen him. He had died too 
in the front room on a level with the area into which its window 
opened. He had also lain there until the Wednesday follow- 
ing, awaiting burial. His corpse, then, was lying in that very 
room on the very Sunday, and at the very moment, too, that 
I had seen his living likeness, as it were in the area outside 

(PP. 93. 94, 95)- 

This ghost in the sunlight ought to have been photographed. 



TWO DOUBLES SUMMON A PRIEST TO THEIR 
DEATH-BEDS. 

The next narrative should rather have come under the head 
of premonitions, but as the premonition in this case was ac- 
companied by an apparition, I include it in the present chapter. 
It is, in its way, even more remarkable than the story of my 
schoolfellow. It is more recent, it is prophetic, and the appar- 
itions of two living men appeared together to predict the day 
of their death. The narrative rests on the excellent authority 
of the Rev. Father Fleming, the hard-working Catholic priest 
of Slindon, in Sussex. I heard of it from one of his parishion- 
ers who is a friend of mine, and on applying to Father Fleming, 
he was kind enough to write out the following account of his 
strange experience, for the truth of every word of which he 
is prepared to vouch. In all the wide range of spectral liter- 
ature I know no story that is quite like this : 

I was spending my usual vacation in Dublin, in the year 
1868, I may add very pleasantly, since I was staying at the 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 255 

house of an old friend, of my father's, and whilst there was 
treated with the attention which is claimed by an honored 
guest, and with as much kindness and heartiness as if I were a 
member of his family. I was perfectly comfortable and per- 
fectly at home. As to my professional engagements, I was 
free for the whole time of my holiday, and could not in any 
manner admit to a scruple or doubt as to the manner in which 
my work was done in my absence, for a fully qualified and 
earnest clergyman was supplying for me. Perhaps this pre- 
amble was necessary to show that my mind was at rest, and 
that nothing in the ordinary course of events would have called 
me so suddenly and abruptly to the scene of my labors at 
Woolwich. I had a week of my unexpired leave of absence yet 
to run when what I am about to relate occurred to me. No 
comment or explanation is offered. It is simply a narrative. 

I had retired to rest at night, my mind perfectly at rest, 
and slept, as young men do in robust health, until about four 
o'clock in the morning. It appeared to me about that hour 
that I was conscious of a knock at the door. Thinking it to 
be the man-servant who was accustomed to call me in the 
morning; I at once said, " Come in ! " To my surprise there 
appeared at the foot of the bed two figures, one a man of 
medium height, fair and well fleshed, and the other tall, dark 
and spare, both dressed as artisans belonging to Woolwich 
Arsenal. On asking them what they wanted, the shorter man 

replied, " My name is C s. I belong to Woolwich. I died 

on of , and you must attend me." 

Probably the novelty of the situation and feelings attendant 
upon it prevented me from noticing that he used the past 
tense. The reply which I received from the other man was 

alike in form, " My name is M 11. I belong to Woolwich. 

I died on of , and you must attend me." I then re- 
marked that the past tense had been used and cried out, 
" Stop ! you said ' died,' and the day you mentioned has not 
come yet ! " at which they both smiled and added, " We know 
this very well; it was done to fix your attention, but " and they 
seemed to say very earnestly and in a marked manner — " you 
must attend us ! " at which they disappeared, leaving me awe- 



256 Book of Knowledge. 

stricken, surprised and thoroughly aroused from sleep. 
Whether what I narrate was seen during sleep, or when wholly 
awake I do not pretend to say. It appeared to me that I was 
perfectly awake and perfectly conscious. Of this I had no 
doubt at the time, and I can scarcely summon up a doubt as to 
what I heard and saw while I am telling it. As I had lighted 
my lamp, I arose, dressed, and seating myself at a table in the 
room, read and thought, and I need hardly say, from time to 
time prayed, and fervently, until day came. When I was called 
in the morning I sent a message to the lady of the house to 
say that I should not go to the University Chapel to say Mass 
this morning, and should be present at the usual family break- 
fast at nine. 

On entering the dining-room my hostess very kindly in- 
quired after my health, naturally surmising that I had omitted 
Mass from illness, or at least want of rest and consequent 
indisposition. I merely answered that I had not slept well, 
and that there was something weighing heavily upon my mind 
which obliged me to return at once to Woolwich. After the 
usual regrets and leave-takings, I started by the midday boat 
for England. As the first date mentioned by my visitors gave 
me time, I travelled by easy stages, and spent more than two 
days on the road, although I could not remain in Dublin after 
I had what appeared to me then, and appears to me still, a 
solemn warning. 

On my arrival at Woolwich, as may be easily imagined, my 
brother clergy were very much puzzled at my sudden and un- 
looked-for return and concluded that I had lost my reckoning, 
thinking that I had to resume my duties a week earlier than I was 
expected to do. The other assistant priest was waiting for 
my return to start on his vacation — and he did so the very 
evening of my arrival. Scarcely, however, had he left the town 
when the first of my visitors sent in a request for me to go at 
once to attend him. You may, perhaps, imagine my feelings 
at that moment. I am sure that you cannot realize them as I 
do even now after the lapse of so many years. I lost no time. 
I had, in truth, been prepared, except hat and umbrella, from 
the first hour after my return. I went to consult the books 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 257 

in which all the sick calls are entered and to speak to our aged, 
respected sacristan who kept them. He remarked at once, 
" You do not know this man, father ; his children come to our 
school, but he is, or has always been, considered as a Protes- 
tant." Expressing my surprise, less at the fact than at his 
statement, I hurried to the bedside of the sufferer. After the 
first few words of introduction were over he said, " I sent for 
you, father, on Friday morning early and they told me that 
you were away from home, but that you were expected back in 
a few days, and I said I would wait." I found the sick man 
had been stricken down by inflammation of the lungs, and that 
the doctor gave no hope of his recovery, yet that he would 
probably linger some days. I applied myself very earnestly 
indeed to prepare the poor man for death. Again the next 
day, and every day until he departed this life, did I visit him 
and spent not minutes but hours by his bedside. 

A few days after the first summons came the second. The 
man had previously been a stranger to me but I recognized 
him by his name and appearance. As I sat by his bedside he 
told me, as the former had already done, that he had sent 
for me, had been told that I was absent, and had declared that 
he would wait for me. Thus far their cases were alike. In 
each case there was a great wrong to be undone, a conscience 
to be set right that had erred and erred deeply — and not 
merely that, it is probable, from the circumstances of their 
lives, that it was necessary that their spiritual adviser should 
have been solemnly warned. They made their peace with God, 
and I have seldom assisted at a deathbed and felt greater con- 
solation than I did at each and both of these. Even now, after 
the lapse of many years, I cannot help feeling that I received 
a very solemn warning in Dublin, and am not far wrong in 
calling it the Shadow of Death. 

T. O. Fleming. 



A MANCHESTER PARALLEL. 

The following narrative, supplied by Mr. R. P. Roberts, 10 
Exchange Street, Manchester, appears in the " Proceedings of 



258 Book of Knowledge. 

the Psychical Research Society." It is a fitting pendant to 
Mr. Kidd's story: 

The shop stood at the corner of Castle Street and Rating 
Row, Beaumaris, and I lived in the latter street. One day I 
went home to dinner at the usual hour. When I had partly 
finished I looked at the clock. To my astonishment it ap- 
peared that the time by the clock was 12.30. I gave an un- 
usual start. I certainly thought that it was most extraordinary. 
I had only half finished my dinner, and it was time for me to 
be at the shop. I felt dubious, so in a few seconds had another 
look, when to my agreeable surprise I found that I had been 
mistaken. It was only just turned 12.15. I could never ex- 
plain how it was that I made the mistake. The error gave me 
such a shock for a few minutes as if something had happened, 
and I had to make an effort to shake off the sensation. I 
finished my dinner and returned to business at 12.30. On 
entering the shop I was accosted by Mrs. Owen, my em- 
ployer's wife, who used to assist in the business. She asked 
me rather sternly where I had been since my return from din- 
ner. I replied that I had come straight from dinner. A long 
discussion followed, which brought out the following facts. 
About a quarter of an hour previous to my actually entering 
the shop {i.e., about 12.15), I was seen by Mr. and Mrs. Owen 
and a well-known customer, Mrs. Jones, to walk into the shop, 
go behind the counter and place my hat upon the peg. As I 
was going behind the counter Mrs. Owen remarked, with the 
intention that I should hear, " that I had arrived now that I 
was not wanted." This remark was prompted by the fact that 
a few minutes previous a customer was in the shop in want of 
an article which belonged to the stock under my charge, and 
which could not be found in my absence. As soon as the cus- 
tomer left I was seen to enter the shop. It was observed by 
Mr. and Mrs. Owen and Mrs. Jones that I did not appear to 
notice the remark made. In fact I looked quite absent-minded 
and vague. Immediately after putting my hat on the peg I 
returned to the same spot, put on my hat again and walked 
out of the shop, still looking in a mysterious manner, which 
incensed one of the parties, I think Mrs. Owen, to say that my 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 259 

behavior was very odd, and she wondered where I was off to. 
I, of course, contradicted these statements, and endeavored 
to prove that I could not have eaten my dinner and returned 
in a quarter of an hour. This, however, availed nothing, and 
during our discussion the above-mentioned Mrs. Jones, came 
into the shop again and was appealed to at once by Mr. and 
Mrs. Owen. She corroborated every word of their account 
and added that she saw me coming down Rating Row when 
within a few yards of the shop ; that she was only a step or two 
behind me and entered the shop in time to hear Mrs. Owen's 
remark about my coming too late. These three persons gave 
their statements of the affair quite independently of each other. 
There was no other person near my age in the Owen's estab- 
lishment, and there could be no reasonable doubt that my 
form had been seen by them and by Mrs. Jones. They would 
not believe my story until my aunt, who had dined with me, 
said positively that I had not left the table before my time was 
up. You will notice, no doubt, the coincidence. At the mo- 
ment when I felt, with a startling sensation, that I ought to be 
at the shop, and when Mr. and Mrs. Owen were extremely 
anxious that I should be there, I appeared to them looking, as 
they said, " as if in a dream or in a state of somnambulism." 
(" Proceedings of the P. R. S.," Vol. I, pp. 135-136.) 



SOME STORIES FROM THE SEA. 

There are several stories of a similar kind recorded by the 
Psychical Research Society. A curious one is a narrative (sent 
by Engineer Dunlop, of Bangkok, Siam), of an apparition seen 
" when the ship was under all plain sail off the pitch of Cape 
Horn," when the seaman who had started aloft to bend the 
foretop-gallant flung his arms around the top-gallant shrouds 
and held on without moving till he was lowered on deck in the 
bight of a bowline. For as he " kept looking to the windward 
at the squall, suddenly in the midst of it he saw his sweet- 
heart, dressed in white flowing robes, who came flying down 



260 Book of Knowledge. 

towards him before the wind/' and who, as it afterwards 
proved, had died in England at that very time. 

Another seafaring story is communicated to a correspond- 
ent by Lord Charles Beresford, and by him sent to the Psy- 
chical Research Society: 

It was in the spring of 1864, whilst on board H.M.S. 
Racoon between Gibraltar and Marseilles, that I went into 
my office on the main deck to get a pipe, and as I opened the 
door I saw my father lying in his coffin as plainly as I could. 
It gave me an awful jerk, and I immediately told some of 
the fellows who were smoking just outside in the usual place 
between the guns, and I also told dear old Onslow, our chap- 
lain, a few days after we arrived at Marseilles and I heard of 
my father's death, and he had been buried that very day and at 
the time, half past twelve in the day. I may add that at the 
time it was a bright, sunny day, and I had not been fretting 
about my father, as the latest news I had of him was that, 
although very ill, he was better. My dear old father and I 
were great chums, more so than is usual between a man of 
seventy-two and a boy of twenty, our respective ages then. 

I KNOW IT WILL COME TRUE. 

A much more painful story and far more detailed is con- 
tained in the fifth volume of the " Proceedings of the Psychical 
Research Society," on the authority of C. F. Fleet, of 26 Gros- 
venor Road, Gainsborough. He swears to the authenticity of 
the facts. The detailed story is full of the fascination which 
attaches to the struggles of a brave man, repeatedly warned of 
his coming death, struggling in vain to avert the event which 
was to prove fatal, and ultimately perishing within the sight 
of those to whom he had revealed the vision. The story in 
brief is as follows : Mr. Fleet was third mate on the sailing ship 
" Persian Empire," which left Adelaide for London in 1868. 
One of the crew, Cleary by name, dreamed before starting that 
on Christmas morning as the " Persian Empire " was passing 
Cape Horn in a heavy gale he was ordered with the rest of 
his watch to secure a boat hanging in davits over the side. 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 261 

He and another got into the boat when a fearful sea broke over 
the ship, washing them out of the boat into the sea where 
they were both drowned. The dream made such an impres- 
sion upon him that he was reluctant to join the ship, but he 
overcame his scruples and sailed. On Christmas Eve when 
they were nearing Cape Horn, Cleary had a repetition of his 
dream, exact in all particulars. He uttered a terrible cry, and 
kept muttering, " I know it will come true." On Christmas 
Day, exactly as he had foreseen, Cleary and the rest of the 
watch were ordered to secure a boat hanging in the davits. 
Cleary flatly refused. He said he refused because he knew he 
would be drowned, that all the circumstances of his dream had 
come true up to that moment, and if he went into that boat he 
would die. He was taken below to the captain, and his 
refusal to discharge duty was entered in the log. Then the 
chief officer, Douglas, took the pen to sign his name. Cleary 
suddenly looked at him and exclaimed, " I will go to my duty, 
for now I know the other man in my dream." He told 
Douglas, as they were on deck, of his dream. They got into 
the boat and when they were all making tight a heavy sea 
struck the vessel with such force that the crew would have 
been washed overboard had they not clung to the mast. The 
boat was turned over and Douglas and Cleary were flung into 
the sea. They swam for a little time and then went down. It 
was just three months after he had dreamed of it before leaving 
Adelaide. 

Here we have inexorable destiny fulfilling itself in spite of 
the struggles of its destined victim. It reminds me of a well- 
known Oriental story, which tells how a friend who was with 
Solomon saw the Angel of Death looking at him very intently. 
On learning from Solomon who the strange visitor was, he 
felt very uncomfortable under his gaze, and asked Solomon to 
transport him on his magic carpet to Damascus. No sooner 
said than done. Then said the Angel of Death to Solomon, 
" The reason why I looked so intently at your friend was be- 
cause I had orders to take him at Damascus, and behold, I 
found him at Jerusalem. Now, therefore, that he has trans- 
ported himself thither I shall be able to obey my orders." 



262 Book of Knowledge. 

"THE GATE THAT CLANGED." 

Quite recently — in fact in June, 1891 — the Rev. H. Chap- 
man published in the Ushaw College Magazine a story, without 
giving genuine names, of an apparition which had sufficient 
truth about it to convert the writer to the Catholic faith. Mr. 
Chapman says that in telling the story persons and places are 
changed and details added, but the backbone of it is genuine 
and in other particulars. The story, briefly told, is as follows: 
Mr. Chapman was at school in England; he spent his holidays 
with his uncle, who was in the habit of receiving visits from va- 
rious friends, including among others a Catholic priest, whom he 
called Reuben Crockford. Father Crockford had the peculiarity 
of clanging the garden gate. It was a tiresome gate to open and 
shut, and they always knew when Father Crockford came because 
he always gave the gate a vicious little kick with his heel after he 
had entered, so that it sent it with some force against the latch, 
making it rebound, and then closing it again with another clang. 
This mode of gate shutting was peculiar to Father Crockford, who 
always did it and was never mistaken. One time there was a dis- 
cussion of the resurrection of the dead at his uncle's house. His 
uncle said the resurrection occurred too long a time ago, he 
wanted present evidence. " Now if you came back from the 
dead and told me that the Catholic religion is true, that would 
be evidence," he said. Father Crockford replied, " If I die 
first, and God permit me, I will come back and tell you, for I 
would do anything to see you converted to the faith." Three 
years after that conversation Mr. Chapman was again spending 
his holidays with his uncle. One morning his uncle came 
down late to breakfast and said that he had been dreaming all 
night that Father Crockford was coming that day. He 
ordered his room to be made ready and he put off dinner a 
quarter of an hour in order to allow him more time to arrive. 
Mr. Chapman was reading a book in the study when his uncle 
went down to the gate to meet Father Crockford. Suddenly 
he heard a double clang, the clang of the gate that Father 
Crockford alone ever gave, and the invariable precursor of his 
visits. Thinking his uncle's presentiment had come true, he 



A Record of Authentic Apparitions. 263 

laid down his book and looked out of the window to catch a 
first glimpse of his visitor. As he did so he looked at his 
watch, it was just ten minutes past five. He saw the good 
priest emerge from the bushes, he was walking rather quickly, 
and carried his black bag which he always brought with him. 
His uncle also saw him, called welcome to him, and shouted to 
him to stop until he came to him. He did not do so but went 
up to the front door and looked in at the window. Mr. Chap- 
man nodded and smiled, but the priest took no notice of his 
salutation. The dog howled and fled away. Then he felt a 
curious cold wind at the roots of his hair, and he noticed that 
the priest's eyes looked somewhat as if they were gazing into 
eternity, and that his face was deathly pale. Again the dog 
gave a low howl, and the sound of a deep sigh at his ear made 
Mr. Chapman spring from his seat in an agony of terror. His 
uncle then came in and ordered the dinner bell to be rung, ex- 
claiming in high glee, " I knew I was right. He has come." 
The dinner was served but the priest did not come down, the 
bell was rung again and as he still did not come, they sent 
up to his room, when to their blank amazement they found 
that no one was there, and the door was locked on the out- 
side. The house was searched from cellar to garret, but he 
could not be found. Next morning his uncle handed Mr. 
Chapman a letter from the Presbytery which informed him that 
the Rev. Reuben Crockford had died the previous day. The 
letter ran as follows : 

He intended to have paid you a visit yesterday, and had 
got as far as the railway station, when being seized with sudden 
failure at the heart, he fell fainting to the platform and was 
carried in a dying state into the waiting room. One of his 
brother priests was hastily summoned, who administered to 
him the consolation of our holy religion, and he also had the 
best available medical assistance. Unhappily all efforts were 
useless and he calmly expired at ten minutes past five, his last 
words being, " John, there is a life to come." 

"What do you think of that?" said his uncle. "I think," 
said Mr. Chapman, "that the Catholic religion is true." Mr. 
Chapman joined the Catholic Church and is now a priest, on 



264 Book of Knowledge. 

account of the vision of the good priest whom he describes 
under the pseudonym of the Rev. Reuben Crockford. 

I have communicated with the editor of the Ushaw Col- 
lege Magazine, but he objects to publishing the names of the 
persons concerned, and indeed objects to further publicity. 
The story, however, is public property, and a very remarkable 
story it is. — By permission of " Publishers' Plate Renting Co" 



CHAPTER X. 

REPORT ON SPIRITUALISM OF THE COMMITTEE 
OF THE LONDON DIALECTICAL SOCIETY. 

Together with the Evidence, Oral and Written, and a 
Selection from the Correspondence. 

Tuesday, April 13, 1869. 
Dr. Edmonds, Chairman. 

Mr. H. D. Jencken, Barrister-at-Law, read the following paper 
on " Spiritualism, its Phenomena, and the Laws that Regulate 
its Origin " : 

" In dealing with the question of Spiritualism we have to 
combat several most difficult objections raised by those who 
oppose our views. Firstly, the facts are denied, and the dreadful 
tedious process of establishing these by instances overburdens 
the lecturer until both his strength and the patience of the audi- 
ence become exhausted. Secondly, where the facts are even 
allowed, the cui bono is thrust forward with unhesitating urgency, 
and the lecturer finds himself driven upon ground quite foreign 
to a scientific inquiry. If the facts exist, I care little for the cui 
bono; if true as a fact, depend upon it, they have some use al- 
lowed them. I, for one, deny the antiquated theory, that whatever 
exists must be manifestly beneficial to us mortals, and for our 
special good, to warrant its continuance. The facts are present, 
and there I rest contented; if, however, I am asked to form an 
opinion, I would suggest that the study of the laws of differently 
constituted physical states that co-exist with this, to our senses, 
recognizable reality, is a vast subject for study, which study 
necessarily leads to the knowledge of profounder, deeper seated 
truths, and possibly to the more intimate recognition of our 
future state. I may, assuming this to be my view, urge that the 
study of Spiritualism has been beneficial to me individually and, 
I hope, may be so to my fellowmen. But I repeat, I do not take 



266 Book of Knowledge. 

this stand, my ground is one of fact and scientific inquiry. And 
to these I confine myself. 

" I will not this evening tax your patience with an account of 
the history of the progress of Spiritualism from the days of the 
celebrated Rochester rappings to the present hour; nor with a 
narrative of the spiritual teachings of the past; these you will 
find recorded in William Howitt's excellent work on the ' History 
of the Supernatural ' ; in De Morgan's work ' From Matter to 
Spirit,' or Spicer's book, entitled, ' Sights and Sounds,' the latter 
furnishing an account of the origin of the present movement. 
For those who require further information, I would recommend 
the works of Judge Edmonds, G. T. Dexter, Governor Talmadge, 
A. J. Davis, M. Hornung, late secretary of the Berlin Magnetic 
Association, or M. M. Dupotet, Puysegur, Deleuze, Billot, Kar- 
dec; all of which the student may consult with profit, and more 
especially the valuable work of Professor Hare's. Suffice it then 
if I tell you, that upwards of 500 works have been published 
by different authors upon Spiritualism and its phenomena, and 
that periodicals on the subject are being published in all known 
languages. 

" I repeat, I will not deal with these historical data, but pro- 
pose to confine myself to an examination of the phenomena; and 
having done this, will, with, I avow, great diffidence on my part, 
state my views. And thus premising, I will give you a statement 
of facts; in rendering these, I will endeavor to classify spiritual 
phenomena into different groups ; and firstly, the purely physical 
phenomena, such as the movement and raising of ponderable 
bodies without visible contact, and to which class the levitations 
of the body of the medium belongs. These levitations you will 
find recorded as having occurred as far back as the year 1347 
(see Spiritual Magazine, November, 1868) — and another in- 
stance is cited as having taken place in the year 1697. On the 
latter occasion, a certain Margaret Rule is described as having 
been raised to the ceiling of her room ; and Goethe refers to the 
wonderful fact of levitation in his life of Phillipinari. The 
levitations of Mr. Home are so well known that I need not more 
than allude to them — upwards of one hundred levitations have 
taken place during his lifetime, of which perhaps the most re- 






Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 267 

markable was the carrying of his body out of one window of the 
third floor, at Ashley House, into an adjoining window ; and the 
lifting of his body raised three or four feet off the ground at 
Adare Manor for 20 or 30 yards. As regards the lifting of 
heavy objects, these I can testify to myself; I have seen the semi- 
grand at my house raised horizontally 18 inches off the ground, 
and kept suspended in space two or three minutes. I have also 
witnessed a square table being lifted one foot off the ground, 
no one touching or near it at the time, a friend present seated on 
the carpet and watching the phenomena all the time. I have 
also seen a table lifted clear over head, six feet off the ground ; 
but what may appear more remarkable, I have witnessed an 
accordion suspended in space for ten or twenty minutes, and 
played by an invisible agency. But I need not multiply the in- 
stances of the moving and carrying of bodies without visible 
contact, these I hold may be conceded as established facts. 

" The second group of phenomena is that of the producing 
of raps, or knocks, to which no doubt the tradition of the 
Poltergeister owes its origin. These telegraphic signs, for such 
in truth they are, need no confirmation on my part; they are so 
common that thousands even in this town have heard them, 
and have further received messages spelt out by these means: 
The well-known alphabetical method being usually employed, I 
have known messages spelt out by the tilting of a semi-grand 
piano at my own house, accompanied by loud raps, no one at the 
time being in contact or within several feet of the instrument. I 
have heard sentences spelt out by the strings of the piano being 
struck by invisible agencies. 

" The third group of phenomena includes the uttering of 
words, sentences, sounding of music, singing, and the producing of 
sounds in imitation of birds ; and these sounds produced without 
any visible agencies being present. The most remarkable instance 
of this kind I ever witnessed was at Great Malvern, at the house 
of Dr. Gully, on which occasion I heard, as far as I could make 
out, three voices chanting a hymn, accompanied by music played 
on an accordion suspended in space, eight or nine feet off the 
ground. 

" At the passing away of an old servant of our household, a 



268 Book of Knowledge. 

strain of solemn music, at about four in the morning, was, by 
the nurse and servants, heard in the room of the dying woman; 
the music lasting fully twenty minutes. 

" The fourth group of phenomena includes playing on musical 
instruments, the drawing of flowers, figures, and writing, by 
direct spiritual unseen agency. Of these facts innumerable in- 
stances are on record, and I mention the books of Mr. B. Cole- 
man and Baron Guldenstube as valuable publications upon this 
phase of spiritual phenomena. Instances have since multiplied 
beyond number, and within the last few days, at Mr. Child's, I 
am informed drawings have been made by invisible agencies. 

" I have thus far given an account of the more usual phenom- 
ena, and will now proceed to describe others not less interesting, 
but of rarer occurrence — and firstly, the Fire Test. I have myself 
witnessed the Fire Test many times. I have seen Lord Adare 
hold in the palm of his hand a burning live coal, which Mr. Home 
had placed there, so hot that the mere momentary contact with 
my finger caused a burn. At Mr. S. C. Hall's a large lump of 
burning coal was placed on his head by Mr. Home; and only 
within these last few days, a metal bell, heated to redness in the 
fire, was placed on a lady's hand without causing injury. At 
Mrs. Henning's house, Norwood, I have seen Mr. Home place 
his face into the flames of the grate, the flame points penetrat- 
ing through his hair without causing injury. Respecting these 
truly marvellous Fire Tests, I refer to the monthly journal Hu- 
man Nature and to the Spiritual Magazine (1868, November — 
December). 

" The next class of phenomena are those extraordinary elonga- 
tions of the medium's body, of which we read in the * History of 
the Mystics,' but until witnessed could scarcely be credited. It has 
been my good fortune to witness the elongation and shortening of 
Mr. Home's person many times, and at Mr. S. C. Hall's about 
three months ago, Mr. Home and a Miss Bertolacci were simulta- 
neously elongated. The elongation usually takes place from the 
hip, a span wide, and on one occasion I measured an extreme 
elongation of the body of fully eight inches. The shortening 
of the body is equally marvellous. I have witnessed Mr. Home 
shrinking down to about five feet : again, as described in Human 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 269 

Nature, March, 1869, I have measured the expansion and contrac- 
tion of the hand, arm and leg. Fortunately these expansions 
and contractions have been witnessed by fifty people at the very 
least, and are now placed beyond doubt. 

" I will pass over the numerous phenomena of holding fluids 
in space without vessels to contain them ; extracting liquids from 
bottles, which I have witnessed; nor will I burden you with 
a description of the perfuming of water, or extracting the scent 
from flowers, or the alcohol from spirits of wine; but will pass 
to the appearance of hands, arms, and spirit forms, wholly or 
in part developed. Fortunately within the last few months in- 
stances have repeated themselves, so that I could name a score 
of witnesses, within the circle of my own friends, who have seen 
spirit forms or appearances. As these facts go far towards es- 
tablishing the truth of spiritualistic phenomena, I will, with your 
permission, dwell more upon these manifestations. 

" Spirit hands are usually luminous, and appear and reappear 
all but instantaneously. I have once been enabled to submit 
a spirit hand to pressure. The temperature was, as far as I could 
judge, the same as that of the room, and the spirit hand felt soft, 
velvety; dissolving slowly under the greatest amount of pressure 
to which I could submit it. I have, however, been informed by 
friends that they have seen spirit hands break a stout piece of 
plank in two, and that the temperature of the hands, tested by a 
delicate thermometer, was usually equal to that of the room. 

" Spirit Forms. — They usually appear with the head and bust 
developed and very luminous, the outline rarely well defined, 
and generally the form seems to float rather than to walk. These 
appearances, however, present very difTerent aspects at different 
times. I have often urged upon my friends to get some facts to 
guide in ascertaining the physical property or character of these 
forms. At a friend's house, some short time ago, the spirit form 
cast a shadow and slightly obscured the light of the gas-burner; 
again, at Ashley House, Capt. Smith and others present, the form 
appeared quite opaque and solid. Only a few weeks ago, at 
Mr. S. C. Hall's, a spirit form, very luminous in appearance, was 
seen, but the outline ill-defined. The form remained visible for 
three or four minutes, and sufficiently long for two of those pres- 



270 Book of Knowledge. 

ent to make a drawing of the same. I have seen a spirit form 
at a seance held at Dr. Gully's, September, 1867. The form ap- 
peared luminous — the top rounded off. I could not distinguish 
the features. The height was middle sized, and the form ap- 
peared to me like a luminous column or cloud. On passing to 
my left, and close to Dr. Gully, I noticed that the luminosity of 
the figure cast a glow of light upon my friend. The form, as it 
stood next to me, spoke several words, audible to all, and then 
walked to the fireplace at the end of the room ; the floor vibrating 
again to the heavy footstep. 

" On the evening I first attended a seance at the Dialectical, 
Mr. Home and some friends met later on at Ashley House; on 
this occasion I had more opportunity of investigating the phe- 
nomena of spiritual appearance. A figure draped, in what ap- 
peared like a transparent loose gauze, or veil, passed to and fro 
imaged on the wall, which had become luminous; the figure ap- 
peared to stand out in ill-defined relief. This phenomenon re- 
peated itself over and over again, the figure disappearing when- 
ever those present became too positive; of this Mr. Home, who 
was in a trance the whole time, warned us. When I say too pos- 
itive I mean ' too intent.' A figure also developed itself next 
to and above Mr. Home as he stood half covered by the curtains 
against the light of the window ; but the outline was so indistinct 
I could not well discern its form. These appearances, or spiritual 
forms, are far more usually witnessed at seances than is ordi- 
narily supposed, and I could instance many other cases equally 
marked and characteristic as those related; for instance, the boy 
of Mrs. Cox, who passed away some months ago, was seen by 
Lord Adare and spoke to him. The housekeeper at Ashley 
House has seen spirit forms at Ashley House, and recognized 
the face and the voice. At my house the Master of Lindsay 
observed the spirit form of Mr. Home's late wife clearly de- 
fined; and what is more remarkable, the Master of Lindsay tells 
me that the figure appeared to him in profile; whilst Mr. Home 
noticed that the figure stood in full enface as it bent over his bed. 

" But I must not multiply instances. The inward seeing of 
spirit forms, which only mediums or seers have the power, is of 
great interest, and opens a wide field for inquiry. The descrip- 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 271 

tion of these visions, or as I believe actual seeings, by the inward 
organ of sight, confirm in a measure, the form and appearance 
of the spirit forms visible to a number of people, and such as 
I have already described. The forms seen vary in appearance, 
though as a rule the seers described them as enveloped in a semi- 
luminous cloud, the head and shoulders are described as in clear 
outline; or the figures appear in shadowy outline, though per- 
fectly solid, and to move about at will, but so transparent that 
objects are seen through them. The forms vary from a white 
luminous transparency to a darkish tint of grey or brown. I 
have seen these shadowy figures, though only very exceptionally, 
and not under conditions that enabled me to institute a minuter 
investigation. In all these phenomena it is of the utmost import- 
ance to determine what conditions favor, what conditions inter- 
rupt their appearance. 

" I have now to treat with the Identity of Spirits, that is, the 
evidence that the spiritual beings present, either visible or com- 
municating by the telegraphic raps, are those of soul-beings — of 
some one having formerly resided on this earth. Numerous in- 
stances are given by different writers, but I prefer mentioning 
cases within my own knowledge, or those of my immediate friends. 
In the instance of the spirit form of the boy of Mrs. Cox, the 
voice and appearance was unmistakably that of the departed child. 
The spirit form seen by me at Malvern I recognized by the 
voice, the words spoken, and the meaning of those words. 

" At Mrs. Hennings' house, Norwood, at a seance at which 
Mr. Home was present, a communication was made, recalling an 
event which occurred at Dr. Elliotson's some thirty years ago. 
It appeared that Mrs. Hennings had attended with a clairvoyant 
child, Ellen Dawson, at Dr. Elliotson's who behaved very abruptly 
on that occasion. The incident had even escaped Mrs. Hennings' 
memory and only was recalled to her mind by the mentioning 
of the scene on that evening by Mr. Home in his trance state, 
and in which state he personified the late Dr. Elliotson. 

" I have now given you data enough to enable you to follow 
me in the conclusions I have arrived at. I need not remind you 
that the great physical forces of nature, namely, light, heat, 
motion, electricity, chemical action, etc., are ascribed to unseen 



272 Book of Knowledge. 

ether waves : a subtile, all-pervading cosmic ether is supposed to 
fill space, and the mere change of the nature of its vibration 
producing light, heat, electricity, mechanical motion, etc. I 
need, also, not remind you that the undulatory theory of Huy- 
gens, of Young, has been combatted by Leonard Euler and Mr. 
Grove; and a molecular theory substituted, with change of po- 
laric position of the final molecules, which are supposed to be the 
ultimate form of matter, but which Grove conceives conducts us 
to dynamic agencies; unless we accept Professor Huxley's pro- 
toplasms, or primary elementary fluids — for what else are his 
elements? — and give to these an ever-continuing permanency. 

" We have thus our great physicists driven to the accepting 
of theories by which they admit unseen agencies ; and Mr. Grove 
is quite right when he tells us that ultimately we are obliged to 
admit a dynamic force to light and its correlates. If time al- 
lowed I would give you all that has been said on this subject. I 
must to-day content myself by presuming on your forbearance, 
and repeat with the great thinkers, that the physical forces are 
only comprehensible as the exponents of dynamic, unseen agen- 
cies. This reasoning takes me to ground further advanced in 
the direction I am pursuing. I ask, what are the causes of these 
dynamic physical forces, those great agencies that uphold, in their 
all-potent grasp, this globe we live on and all other cosmic bodies ? 
I further ask, whence arise the vital organic powers that set the 
dead material of Professor Huxley's protoplasm in motion, and 
create forms of life? The ephemeral existence of animal life 
itself induces the question, for what becomes of the vital powers 
of animals — the soul-beings of men? Their numbers must be 
reckoned by myriads upon myriads ; it matters not when, but the 
day of repletion must come ; this ever-continuing creation of be- 
ings must ultimately require space, for space is, after all, a termin- 
able quantity, and Materialists pretend to teach us that the theory 
of extinction and absorbtion of soul-beings (with Hegel at their 
head) after death answers this question. 

" I have no time to combat their views, but I put it to them, 
whether they admit the permanency of the material; if they do, 
this is my case; for to admit the everlasting presence of the 
material and deny that of the cause is a contradiction self-evi- 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 273 

dent on its very face. What, then, will be asked is the view I 
have ventured to form for myself ? How is the mystery of birth, 
life and death to be explained ? What is the cause of the action 
of the dynamical forces which physicists recognize? How do I 
explain vital action and those kindred phenomena of mesmerism ? 
What do spiritual phenomena disclose? I will, in as few words 
as possible, explain to you my theory. 

" The material physical world, the cosmic bodies — for the 
property of light, proves that all solar systems obey one common 
law of physical force — is sustained by a very few primary, ele- 
mentary laws, represented by primary, elementary or basic sub- 
stances. 

" Why, I ask with Professor De Morgan, should the Creator 
have fashioned only 10 or 20 elements out of, say, one million 
of primary elements, and these few only to be operative? or, in 
other words, am I asking you to admit too much if I say that 
it is just possible many other elementary combinations may exist, 
creating a material state, absolutely independent of the ponder- 
able, visible materiality that surrounds us? That such may be 
conceived as possible, Mr. Grove tells us in his work, ' Correlation 
of Physical Forces ; ' he says : ' Myriads of organized beings 
may exist imperceptible to our vision, even if we were among 
them, and we might be equally imperceptible to them/ (p. 161). 
These different primary elementary states are conceivable by 
merely supposing primary elementary basic substances to exist 
of a different character to those that constitute the elementary 
basis of our materiality. Physicists, and I quote from Professor 
Huxley, will tell you that certain primary basic gaseous sub- 
stances underlie all formations ; that their number may be reduced 
to four. I take their reasoning one step further, and maintain 
that ultimately only two primary substances will be found to con- 
stitute the foundation of all materiality — these two substances 
constituting a dual state, in obedience to the law of polarity that 
exists at the base of all creation. The manifold combinations of 
these two primary basic elementary substances create the mate- 
rial, ponderable, visible world. But matter is only an exponent 
of a force — a dynamic action of a permanent law. I am bor- 
rowing from Farady, Tyndall, Huxley, for they admit the ether 



274 Book of Knowledge. 

wave in their treatment of the light, etc. I thus reduce the phy- 
sical world we live in, this Panstellar Pancosmic world to the 
dominion, I contend, of only two primary polaric forces — conceiv- 
able as expansion and contraction, central and peripheral, mani- 
fested as light and gravitation, oxygen and carbon. If I dare 
venture to enter upon the ground taken up by Professor Huxley 
in dealing with primary gaseous substances, the dualism repeat- 
ing itself in what is termed negative and positive, left and right, 
male and female, all nature manifests in the never ceasing systole 
and dyastole the great dual action of these primary polaric laws 
that underlie the surface play of the phenomenal. 

" These primary elementary substances correspond with other 
elementary primary substances, but which belong to a different 
state of materiality, which has formed and fashioned the material 
world that pre-exist and co-exist with the, to us, visible and pon- 
derable. But each dual group of primary elementary forces is 
so constituted that their action encompasses an infinitely ex- 
tended world, in all its boundless expanse; or, in other words, 
series of primary dual forces, represented by primary dual sub- 
stances, co-existing, intro-existing, cooperating, harmonizing one 
with the other, may be conceived to exist. I have thus distinctive 
grades of materialities, bordering one on the other, intro-exist- 
ing each within each. And in the never ceasing progress from 
the primary dual source in the divine essence, from grade to 
grade, the vital power of the soul-being travels onwards, meditat- 
ing in its ascent and change of condition in each elementary 
primary state by what, in the state we reside in, we recognize 
as the foetal development and final birth of the child. The soul- 
being of the child pre-exists, I maintain, but in a more primary 
unconscious condition; how constituted, and in what form we 
cannot with certainty tell, but this much is certain, that each 
vital power has passed through earlier states of development, in 
an ether form previous to its obtaining its advanced condition, 
suitable to its sojourn on earth. Those lymbic preparatory states 
Dr. Doherty speaks of in his ' Organic Philosophy/ or the verel- 
ment of my father's theory — the pre-existences of Leibnitz — are 
to my mind the only answer to the mystery of birth of animals 
as the after existences are the only answer to the ephemeral 
phase of life, the mystery of death. 









Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 275 

" The fact of foetal development and birth, the growth of all 
forms of life from primary or living germinal matter, can only 
be explained by a preparatory pre-existence. Professor Huxley's 
theory, and the school of continental Materialists, admit the in- 
destructibility of the material, but deny the everlasting presence 
of the cause. Those primary centers of force M. Bascovitz 
rightly substitutes for the idea of a final molecule or primary fluid. 
The next question to consider is that of the presence of an ether 
state, following this state, bordering upon it, and into which we 
pass after death. 

" The soul-being pre-develops its ether investiture during life, 
mediating its progress by the organism of our bodily existence; 
pre-develops until a second farther advanced central state of our 
soul becomes predominant, and then follow age, decay and final 
dissolution of the body. Our soul-being having expanded in 
obedience to fixed laws of physical, intellectual, and moral de- 
velopment — for I contend that the latter are organically repre- 
sented by a higher organism — becomes surrounded by a suitable 
investiture, bearing the stamp of a higher or lower development, 
in strict accordance with the advance gained; and the presence 
of a differently constituted physical state into which the soul- 
beings of men pass by what we designate death, answers the 
questions put by Materialists, what becomes of the myriads of 
soul-beings that pass away, not only from this planet, but from 
the countless suns that fill our cosmic heavens, for their analogous 
physical state justifies the conclusion that they, too, are inhabited. 
The presence of grades founded upon fundamental elementary 
and distinctive dual primary principals — corresponding with other 
states that precede and follow these, and into, and from out of 
which, the soul-being arises and passes is the only explanation 
to the most marvellous phenomena of birth and death. But 
progress is not only confined to the human soul-being ; all nature 
progresses — constantly changes — and the only constant are the 
fundamental laws that govern each state of primary materiality. 

" In the Lucide, the trance medium, the seer, spiritual sight 
is opened; or, in other words, the soul-being, even during life, 
becomes self-conscious of the next state upon which our present 
state borders, and the eyes see, and what are termed our spiritual 



276 Book of Knowledge. 

senses function, and we became conscious that an actual reality 
surrounds us, independent of, and yet co-existing with the mate- 
rial physical conditions that govern this world. 

" To recapitulate. The universe is not composed as usually 
conceived of only this pancosmic boundless stellar world, in which 
the megas and micros are, it is true, equally marvellous ; but this 
boundless, light indexed world constitutes only one of the endless 
grades and distinctive materialities in the plan of the universe. 
Each plane or grade reducible to two primary fundamental laws ; 
the central and peripheral, expressed by two primary dual sub- 
stances, out of which are created, in never ceasing change, those 
•ever varying forms that surround us. And the soul-being pass 
from one intro-state to another intro-state, in obedience to laws 
of their development, in never ending progress; mediating each 
state by an organism fit to function in each grade. What sep- 
arates the soul-being from the surrounding material, or rather 
what constitutes the connecting link between it and the material, 
must be reserved for the discussion of some future day. This eve- 
ning I have only time to allude to this question. I will now con- 
clude what I have to tell you ; the subject is so vast, I have had to 
sacrifice form for my wish to render all I could say within a short 
half-hour's reading, and if I erred, I am sure you ill be indul- 
gent." 

On the conclusion of Mr. Jencken's paper, the chairman sug- 
gested the advisability of waiving all discussion thereon, in order 
that the committee might have an opportunity of hearing the 
evidence of some other distinguished Spiritualists who were then 
present. As this recommendation was found to be in accordance 
with the general feeling of the Committee it was at once adopted. 

Tuesday, May 25, 1869. 
Mr. Henry Jeifery, Chairman. 

Mr. Cromwell F. Varley gave evidence this evening in the 
following words : 

" I came here under the impression that I would be put in 
the witness-box and cross-examined; and I, therefore, did not 
prepare any statement beforehand. I mention this in order to 
explain any want of order or consecutiveness in what I state. 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 277 

To begin, then, I was a skeptic when these matters first came 
under my notice about the year 1850. That was the time when 
table-rapping and table-moving were set down as the results of 
electrical force. I investigated that hypothesis and demonstrated 
that it was altogether unfounded — no electrical force could have 
been thus applied, no electricity could be evolved from the hands 
of uninsulated human beings, capable of moving one-thousandth 
part of the weight of the tables moved. I may mention that 
I was possessed of mesmeric healing power. Three years after 
these experiments I came to London and made the acquaintance 
of the lady who has since become Mrs. Varley. She was subject 
to nervous headaches, and I got the consent of her parents to 
mesmerize her with the view of effecting a cure. She was only 
temporarily relieved; and one day, while she was entranced on 
the couch, I was thinking whether I could permanently cure her. 
She answered my thought. I considered this very strange and 
I asked her — still mentally — whether she was answering my 
thought ; she replied, ' Yes.' I then asked her whether there 
were any means by which a permanent cure could be effected. 
She replied, ' Yes ; if you bring the fit out of its proper course 
you will disturb its harmony and I shall be cured/ I did so — by 
the exercise of will — and by bringing on the fits at intermediate 
periods she was cured permanently. Whenever entranced she 
had a strong objection to being roused out of that state. 

" To ascertain whether the influence could be exerted through 
solid substances I made transverse passes through folding doors ; 
she ran out and caught my hands to stop me. Another time I 
made passes through a brick wall; she was instantly conscious 
of it. I relate these matters because they may help us to a clue 
in relation to some of the phenomena called spiritual. A wall, 
it will be seen, was transparent to what passed from my hand or 
mind. Some three or four years after a chest disease of my 
wife's became much aggravated; she became very thin and was 
supposed to be suffering from consumption. She could not in- 
spire more than seven-eighths of a pint of air and it was stated 
that she would not live more than three months. 

" One night she addressed me in the third person, and said, 
' If you are not careful you will lose her/ I asked who ? She 



278 Book of Knowledge. 

replied, ' Her, your wife ! ' I said, ' Who is now speaking ? ' The 
reply was, in substance, ' We are spirits ; not one, but several. 
We can cure her if you will observe what we tell you. Three 
ulcers will form on the chest. The first will break in ten days 
at thirty-six minutes past five o'clock. It will be necessary that 
you shall have such and such remedies at hand. No one is to 
be with you; their presence will excite her too much, and you 
must not inform her of these communications, for the shock 
would kill her/ On the tenth day I went home early. I had 
set my watch by Greenwich time. Exactly at 5 136 she screamed ; 
that happened which had been predicted and she was relieved. 
The second crisis was foretold three weeks and the third a fort- 
night before it actually occurred. The latter was predicted for 
the day of the annular eclipse, which was visible from Peters- 
borough. I had promised to take her to Petersborough, but I 
found that the ulcer was to break at a time when she would be 
in the train. The spirits, however, said that it would not do to 
disappoint her, and she went, I taking the remedies in my pocket. 
Half an hour before the appointed time she became ill and pre- 
cisely at the hour named the ulcer broke. I produced the rem- 
edies, much to her surprise, for she knew nothing of the predic- 
tion. These were my first spiritual experiences. It was not my 
wife but the spirits who told me what to do and by acting on 
their instructions she was so restored that in nine months her 
inspiration was increased from a pint to nearly a gallon and she 
became quite stout. Later, after the birth of my first son, I was 
aroused one night by three tremendous raps. I thought there 
were thieves in the house and I searched everywhere but found 
nothing. I then thought, ' Can this be what is called Spiritual- 
ism ? ' The raps answered ' Yes, go into the next room ! ' I did 
so and found the nurse intoxicated and Mrs. Varley rigid, cata- 
leptic. I made cross passes and restored her. These things 
made me very anxious and I resolved to see if there was any 
truth in what was related of Mr. Home. I called upon him and 
told him what I had experienced. He made an appointment and 
I went to him with Mrs. Varley ; Mrs. Milner Gibson said that her 
son, who was dead, was there. He gave raps. She wore a 
white stomacher, I think it is called, and it suddenly became in- 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 279 

flated by, as she said, her spirit child. The child was asked to 
touch me ; he said he was afraid, but later in the evening he said 
that he was no longer afraid, and my hands were touched under 
the table and my coat was pulled three times. I said to myself, 
' This is not satisfactory, for it is all under the table.' Imme- 
diately afterwards, in answer to a mental wish, the lapel of my 
coat was lifted three times on the right side and then three times 
on the left. I was then, in answer to a mental wish, touched on* 
the knee and on the shoulder quite distinctly the desired number 
of times." 

A Member of the Committee : " Was this in the light ? " 

Mr. Varley : " Yes, in the light of five gas-burners. Mrs. 
Milner Gibson and Mr. Home requested me to make a thorough 
investigation and to get under the table and apply any test. In 
the course of the evening very many phenomena presented them- 
selves; the table was repeatedly lifted off the floor, and while so 
suspended in the air, it instantly moved in any direction I wished 
it to go. 

" Mrs. Varley made similar experiments, and when I was 
observing under the table she observed above. 

" These were the first physical phenomena I saw, and they 
impressed me, but still I was too much astonished to be able to 
feel satisfied. Fortunately, when I got home, a circumstance 
occurred which got rid of the element of doubt. While alone in 
the drawing room, thinking intently on what I had witnessed, 
there were raps. The next morning I received a letter from Mr. 
Home, in which he said, ' When alone in your room last night 
you heard sounds. I am so pleased ! ' He stated that the 
spirits had told him they followed me and were enabled to pro- 
duce sounds. I have the letter in my possession now to show 
that imagination had nothing to do with the matter. The eye is 
treacherous and may deceive; therefore the testimony of a 
single individual is never conclusive. It is only when there is 
corroborative evidence that we can be safe. The fact that I 
heard the raps was confirmed by the letter of Home. I shall con- 
fine my instances to cases in which there was corroborative evi- 
dence. 

" In the winter of 1864-5 I was busy with the Atlantic cable. 



280 Book of Knowledge. 

I left a gentleman at Birmingham to test the iron wire. He had 
seen something of Spiritualism but he did not believe in it. He 
had had a brother whom I had never seen in life. One night 
in my room there were a great number of loud raps. When at 
length I sat up in bed I saw a man in the air — a spirit — in mili- 
tary dress. I could see the pattern of the paper on the wall 
through him. Mrs. Varley did not see it. She was in a peculiar 
state and became entranced. The spirit spoke to me through 
her." 

A gentleman asked how that was supposed to be done? 

Mr. Varley : " While the person is in a trance the spirit con- 
trols the body and speaks and acts through the muscles and 
organs. He told me his name, and said that he had seen his 
brother in Birmingham, but what he had to communicate was 
not understood. He asked me to write a message to his brother, 
which I did, and received an answer from Birmingham, ' Yes, 
I know my brother has seen you for he came to me and was able 
to make known as much.' The gentleman, as I said, was at Bir- 
mingham and I was at Beskenham. 

" This spirit informed me that when at school in France he 
was stabbed. The fact was only known to his eldest surviving 
brother and his mother. It had been concealed from his father 
on account of the state of the latter's health. 

" When I narrated this to the survivor he turned very pale and 
confirmed it. 

" In a second case my sister-in-law had heart disease. Mrs. 
Varley and I went into the country to see her, as we feared for 
the last time. I had a nightmare, and could not move a muscle. 
While in this state, I saw the spirit of my sister-in-law in the 
room. I knew that she was confined to her bedroom. She 
said, ' If you do not move, you will die,' but I could not move, 
and she said, ' If you submit yourself to me, I will frighten you, 
and you will then be able to move.' At first I objected, wishing 
to ascertain more about her spirit presence. When at last I 
consented, my heart had ceased beating. I think at first her 
efforts to terrify me did not succeed, but when she suddenly ex- 
claimed, ' Oh, Cromwell, I am dying,' that frightened me ex- 
ceedingly, and threw me out of the torpid state, and I awoke in 






Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 281 

the ordinary way. My shouting had aroused Mrs. Varley; we 
examined the door, and it was still locked and bolted, and I told 
my wife what had happened, having noted the hour, 3:45 a.m., 
and cautioned her not mention the matter to anybody, but to 
hear what was her sister's version if she alluded to the subject. 
In the morning she told us that she had passed a dreadful night, 
that she had been in our room and greatly troubled on my ac- 
count; and that I had been nearly dying. It was between half- 
past three and four a.m., when she saw I was in danger. She 
only succeeded in arousing me by exclaiming, ' Oh. Cromwell, 
I am dying.' I appeared to her to be in a state which otherwise 
would have ended fatally. This was the second case in which 
there were more witnesses than one, and I think it may be con- 
sidered a second case attended with reliable evidence. There is 
in addition this peculiarity that we were neither of us dead. 

" A third case I have, which is remarkable ; it occurred in 1867, 
in New York. I had an agreement with the Atlantic Telegraph 
Company relating to an instrument of my invention and as the 
time came for some payments to fall due, the arrangement was 
repudiated. I was in ignorance, however, of this determination. 
I happened to be unwell, and consulted three mediums to see 
whether they would agree. They did in the main. One was a 
Mrs. Manchester. Amongst other things, she informed me that 
I was to have some trouble about law proceedings, and in fact, 
she said there were papers of importance relative to the matter 
then on their way by the mail. This was on Monday, and the 
following Wednesday the mail arrived and I received a packet 
of law papers and an explanatory letter from my lawyers, stating 
that they would proceed to file a bill in Chancery in consequence 
of the proceedings of the company, unless I sent other instruc- 
tions through the cable. It was impossible for Mrs. Manchester 
to have known anything about this, and for my part, nothing was 
farther from my thoughts than a Chancery suit. I was an entire 
stranger to these three mediums, and at that time knew no Spir- 
itualists in America. 

" I have a fourth case in which I was the principal performer. 
I had been experimenting with earthenware and was attacked 
with spasms in the throat from the fumes of the fluoric acid, 



282 Book of Knowledge. 

which I had been using largely. I was very ill indeed, and used 
to wake up with contraction of the throat and I was recommended 
to have some sulphuric ether beside me to breathe which would 
procure instant relief. I used this six or eight times but its smell 
was so unpleasant that I eventually used chloroform; I kept it 
by my bedside, and when I had to take it, leaned over it in such 
a manner that when insensibility supervened, I fell back and the 
sponge dropped down. One night, however, I rolled on my back 
retaining the sponge, which remained on my mouth. Mrs. Varley 
was in the room above, nursing a sick child. After a little time 
I became unconscious ; I saw my wife upstairs, and I saw myself 
on my back with the sponge to my mouth, but was utterly pow- 
erless to cause my body to move. I made by my will a distinct 
impression on her brain that I was in danger. Thus aroused, she 
came down and immediately removed the sponge, and was greatly 
alarmed. I then used my body to speak to her, and I said, ' I 
shall forget all about it and how this came to pass unless you 
remind me in the morning, but be sure to tell me what made you 
come down and I shall then be able to recall the circumstance/ 
The following morning she did. so but I could not remember 
anything about it; I tried hard all day, however, and at length I 
succeeded in remembering first a part and ultimately the whole. 
My spirit was in the room with Mrs. Varley when I made her con- 
scious of my danger. That case helped me to understand how 
spirits communicate : what my spirit wished she saw, and Mrs. 
Varley has had similar experiences. On one occasion she told 
me whilst in a trance, ' It is not the spirits that now speak, it is 
myself ; I make use of my body the same as spirits do when they 
speak through me.' 

"I had another case in i860; I went to find the first At- 
lantic cable ; when I arrived at Halifax my name was telegraphed 
to New York. Mr. Cyrus Field telegraphed the fact to St. John's 
and then to Harbour Grace; so that when I arrived I was very 
cordially received at each place and at Harbour Grace found 
there a supper prepared. Some speeches followed and we sat 
up late. I had to catch the steamer that went early the next 
morning and was fearful of not waking in time, but I employed 
a plan which had often proved successful before, viz., that of 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 283 

willing strongly that I should wake at the proper time. Morn- 
ing came and I saw myself in bed fast asleep; I tried to wake 
myself but could not. After a while I found myself hunting 
about for some means of more power, when I saw a yard in which 
was a large stack of timber and two men approaching; they as- 
cended the stack of timber and lifted a heavy plank. It occurred 
to me to make my body dream that there was a bombshell thrown 
in front of me which was fizzling at the touch-hole, and when 
the men threw the plank down I made my body dream that 
the bomb had burst and cut open my face. It woke me, but with 
a clear recollection of the two actions — one, the intelligent mind 
acting upon the brain in the body, which could be made to be- 
lieve any ridiculous impression that the former produced by 
will power. I did not allow a second to elapse before I leaped out 
of bed, opened the window, and there were the yard, the timber, 
and the two men, just as my spirit had seen them. I had no 
previous knowledge at all of the locality; it was dark the pre- 
vious evening when I entered the town, and I did not even know 
there was a yard there at all. It was evident I had seen these 
things while my body lay asleep. I could not see the timber 
until the window had been opened. These are the leading points 
I have to confirm my belief in Spiritualism. I have received 
communications about my children. My youngest child, who 
was very nervous and precocious, was taken ill, and the doctor 
advised us to give him no meat, but he did not get any better. 
Shortly after Mrs. Varley was entranced, and a spirit instructed 
us not to alter the child's original diet, to discontinue the treat- 
ment adopted towards him, and to send for a mesmerist. This 
was done, and the child quickly recovered under his passes. I 
myself once had an operation performed on a boil in my face, 
and I suffered some weeks afterwards from neuralgia. One 
night I was informed that the spirits were going to put me to 
rest, and that they were now beginning ; as I lay in bed I suddenly 
became very hot and burst out into a perspiration and enjoyed a 
good night's rest. It was about 15 seconds after it had been 
said 'they are now beginning' that I burst out into a glow. 
The neuralgia was gone when I awoke next morning. 

" At New York I found several excellent mediums and also 



284 Book of Knowledge. 

some very clear-headed men who were investigating the subject, 
Dr. Grey, Mr. F. C. Livermore, the banker; Dale Owen, the 
author of ' Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World,' and 
others, including Judge Edmunds. 

" From these people I obtained valuable information and com- 
menced a series of experiments with electricity and magnetism, 
The medium was Miss Catherine Fox. 

" It is now more than twelve years since I first became ac- 
quainted with spiritual phenomena and for a long time I endeav- 
ored to ascertain something definite about the laws governing 
the production of physical manifestations, but up to this time my 
evidence is almost entirely negative. In the absence of positive 
evidence negative is useful in limiting the ground over which 
one has to search, in a measure, in the dark. 

" The spirit who was to cooperate with me was stated to be 
Dr. Franklin. 

" When I appeared the first time with the apparatus at the 
minute appointed, I was received with a chorus of raps such as 
fifty hammers, all striking rapidly, could hardly produce. 

" I have scarcely ever been able to induce mediums, through 
whom the physical phenomena occur, to consent to sit for ac- 
curate investigation. In 1867, Miss Kate Fox, the well-known 
American medium, agreed to sit with me in New York during 
a series of investigations into the relations between the known 
physical forces and the spiritual. Miss Fox, you are doubtless 
aware, is the medium through whom the modern spiritual mani- 
festations were first produced in the United States, and through 
her mediumship the most striking physical phenomena I have 
ever heard of were witnessed by my friends Dr. Grey, a leading 
physician in New York, and by Mr. C. F. Livermore, the banker, 
both of them shrewd, clear-headed men. 

" During my investigations, Mr. Livermore and Mr. and Mrs. 
Townsend sat with us; Mr. Townsend is a New York solicitor, 
at whose house the meetings of the circle were held. A Grove's 
battery of four cells, a helix eighteen inches in diameter, electro- 
magnets, and other descriptions of apparatus were procured by 
me. The plan of action was as follows : I was to go through a 
series of experiments, and the intelligences or ' spirits/ as they 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 285 

are usually, and I think properly called, were to narrate what 
they saw, and if possible to explain the analogies existing be- 
tween the forces I was dealing with and those which they em- 
ploy. We sat eight or nine times for this purpose, but although 
great efforts seemed to be made by the spirits present to convey 
to my mind what they saw, it was unintelligible to me. The 
only positive results obtained were the following: As we sat in 
the dark, and the manifestations were sometimes violent, I had 
taken the precaution to place the battery and keys on a side table 
and led the wires from the ' keys ' or commutators, to the ap- 
paratus on the tables round which we sat, so that I could, in the 
dark, perform the various experiments I had arranged to try. 
Whenever, by accident, my hands came in contact with one of 
the wires, without my being aware which wire it was, I put 
these questions : ' Is a current flowing through it ? ' and if they 
said ' Yes,' I asked in what direction does it flow through my 
hand? This experiment was repeated, if my memory serves me 
rightly, not less than ten times. Each time, directly after being 
informed of the direction of the current, a light was struck, and 
in every instance I found that we had been correctly advised, 
if we assume that the current flows from the positive to the nega- 
tive pole. 

" The experiments with the helix were of two kinds : First, 
' What action had the electrified helix upon me when placed over 
my head ? Secondly, ' When a piece of iron, or a compass 
needle, was placed inside it, could the spirits affect the magnetic 
action of the helix upon the iron or compass ? ' Repeatedly dur- 
ing the investigations, and while we were in the dark, I seized 
the opportunity of placing the magnetized helix over my head, 
and immediately, on each occasion, the spirits requested me not 
to do it as it hurt me ; nevertheless, I could feel no pain or sensi- 
ble action myself. As no one but myself was aware that I in- 
tended to or was placing this helix over my head, it is perfectly 
clear that the fact was made known by some means inexplicable 
as yet by orthodox science. 

" The result of my investigations in this direction lead me to 
infer that there are probably other powers accompanying electric 
and magnetic streams, which other powers are seen by the spirits 



286 Book of Knowledge. 

and are by them mistaken for the forces which we call electricity 
and magnetism. This is an hypothesis not easily arrived at. 
Whenever a current flowed through the helix the spirits declared 
that they did augment and diminish the power of the magnetic 
field at will. My apparatus showed no such variation of power. 
They persisted in the correctness of their statement night after 
night, and time after time. I insisted on the contrary that no 
action visible to me was produced. One evening, when carefully 
repeating the experiments (my apparatus was not very sensitive) 
the idea occurred to me to replace the little compass needle with 
a quartz crystal. The spirits described the crystal as a fine 
magnet, and declared that they altered its magnetism at will. 

" Mrs. Varley can often see similar light issuing alike from 
steel magnets, rock crystals, and human beings, though in the 
latter case the luminosity varies in intensity. Putting all these 
things together, I think the spirits see around magnets this light 
(which Baron Reichenbach has named Od force), and not the 
magnetic rays themselves. 

" About the existence of the ' flames of Od ' from magnets, 
crystals, and human beings, I have had abundant and conclusive 
evidence from experiments with Mrs. Varley. 

" I have used the word ' spirits,' well knowing that the world 
at large does not believe that we have any warranty for assuming 
that our friends are able to communicate with us, after the dis- 
solution of the material body. My authority for asserting that 
the spirits of kindred beings do visit us is: I. I have on several 
occasions distinctly seen them. 2. On several occasions things 
known only to myself and to the deceased person purporting 
to communicate with me, have been correctly stated while the 
medium was unaware of any of the circumstances. 3. On sev- 
eral occasions things known only to our two selves, and which 
I had entirely forgotten, have been recalled to my mind by the 
communicating spirit, therefore this could not be a case of mere 
thought-reading. 4. On some occasions, when these communica- 
tions have been made to me, I have put my questions mentally, 
while the medium — a private lady in independent circumstances — 
has written out the answers, she being quite unconscious of the 
meaning of the communications. 5. The time and nature of 






Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 287 

coming events, unanticipated and unknown both to myself and 
the medium, have, on more than one occasion, been accurately 
made known to me several days in advance. As my invisible 
informants told the truth regarding the coming events and also 
stated that they were spirits, and as no mortals in the room had 
any knowledge of some of the facts they communicated, I see no 
reason to disbelieve them. Mrs. Varley very frequently sees 
and recognizes spirits; especially is this the case when she is 
entranced. She is a very good trance medium, but I have little 
power over the occurrence of these trances ; there is consequently 
nearly as much difficulty in investigating through her mediumship 
as there is in investigating that extraordinary, unexplained 
natural phenomenon — ball-lightning — which occurs in times and 
places unexpected and beyond human control. 

" My early religious education was received from that very 
narrow-minded sect, the Sandimanians ; their teachings wholly 
failed to satisfy my anxiety about the future. It was while 
endeavoring to get some information regarding the relations 
between man and the Deity, from some spirits who were evidently 
more advanced than myself, that I received, unexpectedly, a 
communication upon another subject which had puzzled me much, 
namely, ' Why have not the more intelligent spirits given us 
some scientific information in advance of any yet possessed by 
man ? ' As I think the explanation to be sound and logical I 
mention it here not asking you to accept it but to prepare you 
when the same question occurs to your own mind. 

" They told me that I myself had often experienced how im- 
perfect words were as a means of communicating new ideas ; that 
spirits in advance of the great intelligences upon earth do not 
use words in communicating with each other, because they have 
the power of instantly communicating the actual idea as it exists 
in their own thought, to the other spirit ; that when they telegraph 
to mortals, even through clairvoyant and trance mediums, who 
form by far the best channel for messages of high intelligence, 
they put the thought into the mind of the medium, for that mind 
to translate into words, through the mechanism of the brain and 
mouth ; consequently, what we usually get is a bad interpretation 
of a subject which the translator does not comprehend. 



288 Book of Knowledge. 

" The physical manifestations, wonderful and useful though 
they be, are generally believed by experienced Spiritualists to 
be chiefly produced by spirits of a less advanced nature than the 
average men of civilized countries; of the general truth of this 
I entertain no doubt. 

" I have failed at present to find a medium acquainted with 
science, and therefore capable of translating into intelligible 
language ideas of a scientific nature. This is not to be wondered 
at, when we remember that there are thirty millions of British 
subjects, while there are probably not more than a hundred 
known mediums in the whole kingdom, and very few of these are 
well developed; this gives us one publicly known medium to 
every 300,000 persons. Out of the thirty millions I do not sup- 
pose there are as many as one thousand well acquainted with nat- 
ural philosophy, and accustomed to reason thereon. If, then, but 
one in thirty thousand is a scientific investigator, while there is 
one medium to 300,000 persons, we can only expect one scientific 
medium for each ten generations. Even if we assumed that there 
are 10,000 clear-headed natural philosophers in Great Britain, 
that would still only give us one good scientific medium to a 
generation. When it is further considered that the majority of 
our mediums are females, who, from the miseducation of English 
ladies, are rarely accustomed to accurate investigation, it is still 
less to be wondered at that so little advance has been made in the 
scientific branch of the subject. 

" I have now told you about as much as I am able ; what I 
have stated is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. 
It is a very difficult subject. One has almost no clew to the nature 
of any of these forces. What we want is a systematic combined 
effort to investigate the matter. I think there is only a small 
minority suitably educated to investigate such subjects. I have 
been most careful to believe nothing until unbelief became im- 
possible." 

On the conclusion of Mr. Varley ? s speech the Chairman, Mr. 
Jeffery, rose to thank him for his valuable statement. 

Mr. Coleman said that he would like to know whether Mr. 
Varley considered himself a spirit rapper? 

Mr. Varley did not consider himself a spirit rapper ; he could 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 289 

not produce raps and did not know the real meaning of the term 
as used by Mr. Coleman. 

Mr. JefTery : " Does Mr. Varley accept the spiritual theory ? " 

Mr. Varley : " I firmly believe from the facts I have alluded 
to, that we are not our bodies ; that when we die we exist just as 
much as before and that under certain conditions we are able to 
hold communication with those on earth; but I also believe that 
many of the phenomena are caused by the spirits of those whose 
bodies are present. The phenomena can neither be accounted for 
by magnetism nor electricity. These forces have nothing to do 
with the phenomena I have alluded to. It is unfortunate that 
the terms electricity and magnetism should have been applied 
to these unknown forces. As to our future existence I do not 
think any of us know much about its details after death, nearly 
all Spiritualists concur in believing, that the thinking part of 
man forms in the next life the body ; that we are thought beings, 
and that those ideas which we originate in this life are permanent 
realities in the next. With regard to electricity, I believe that 
electricity is one of the components of matter, and that there is 
an actual transmission through the wire. It has no applicable 
weight, no gravitation. Light is the vibration of cosmical ether. 
As to the nature of magnetism I do not know what it is ; I haven't 
the ghost of an idea. 

" I remember a case a short time since at my own house, 
when a large ottoman pushed us all up into a corner without any 
visible means of locomotion. Mr. Home was the medium, and 
while we were sitting round a table Mr. Home began to shiver. 
I looked over his shoulder and there was a side table coming 
slowly up towards us. At another time, at New York, a party of 
friends had been sitting at a table for some time when suddenly 
Miss Catherine Fox got up and went towards the door. Mr. 
Livermore went and stood by her and distinctly saw a hand, 
and we all saw a blue light come from under her dress. I have 
often seen these lights in her presence." 

Mr. Bradlaugh : " While the most interesting part of your 
experience took place were you in an abnormal state ? " 

Mr. Varley : " No, calm and clear. I believe the mesmeric 
trance and the spiritual trance are produced by similar means, 



290 Book of Knowledge. 

and I believe the mesmeric and the spiritual force to be the same. 
They are both the action of a spirit and the difference between 
the spiritual trance and the mesmeric trance is, I believe, this: 
In the mesmeric trance the will that overpowers or entrances the 
patient is in a human body. In the spiritual trance that will 
which overpowers the patient is not in a human body. I have 
given much time to the question of the identification of spirits and 
in one case, a medium, a lady in our own locality (whom we had 
never previously known), sent to say that a spirit wished to com- 
municate, through me, to his father and desired that I should 
go to his father, who was a Materialist. This spirit was most 
anxious that his father should know that he was not annihilated — 
that there was a future life. I had known this person while in 
the body, and he was a very genial fellow, but so very untruthful 
that no dependence could be placed on what he said. I therefore 
told him that in life he was such a liar that he must now con- 
vince me that he was the same person by relating some incidents 
of our lives which I had forgotten. He could not think of any 
at the time and I made an appointment to meet him in a few days. 
He afterwards narrated to me the incidents of a boating excur- 
sion we had on the Thames, repeating various expressions I 
had used, and detailing the circumstances attending them. He 
added that he was so bad on earth that he had not the confidence 
of his father and that he could not convince him of his identity 
as he had me. Most of the answers were written by the lady 
before alluded to, my question being put mentally." 

Mr. Bradlaugh : " I think you have seen the color of the clothes 
of a spirit as distinctly as the features." 

Mr. Varley : " Yes. I think I see the drift of that question, 
I was very much astonished when I saw a spirit in a dress. I 
explain it in this way; all known powers have to be treated as 
solids in regard to something; a man finds air not solid at all. 
He can move through it as though it did not exist, but when he 
comes to an iron-clad ship he is stopped, he cannot pass through 
iron. Well, electricity finds air the most solid substance possible ; 
it cannot pass through it, but it passes through the iron-clad ship 
as though it were not in existence. An iron wire is to an elec- 
trician simply a hole bored through a solid rock of air so that 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 291 

the electricity may pass freely. Glass is opaque to electricity but 
transparent to magnetism. Thence we may infer that everything 
is solid in respect to something and that nothing is solid in respect 
to all things, and therefore thought, which is power, may be in 
some sort solid, so that if you take an old English farmer, for 
instance, he would be ashamed to be seen without his top boots, 
his coat with the buttons, and his hat. They are part of his iden- 
tity, he cannot think of himself without them ; they form part of 
his nature, and the moment he leaves the body and becomes a 
thought man, the thought boots, the thought coat and the thought 
hat form part of his individuality." 

A vote of thanks to Mr. Varley closed the proceedings and 
the meeting adjourned. 

THE COUNTESS DE POMAR. 

To the Committee of the London Dialectical Society appointed 
to investigate " Spiritualism." 

" Gentlemen : Having been requested by some members of 
your Committee to furnish a report of seances at which I have 
been present, I have concluded, after duly considering the matter, 
to do so upon condition of being allowed to state my views re- 
specting the value of spiritual communications. 

" Seances are so much alike in all essentials that little good 
can be derived from reporting them unless we consider them 
with reference to their value as evidence of the individuality and 
immortality of the soul ; this is in fact the true touchstone of their 
importance ; and therefore I must, as a preliminary to my report 
of spiritual experiences, offer a few considerations in regard to the 
vexed questions as to whether the soul is material or immaterial, 
mortal or immortal. 

" In doing so, however, I do not suppose that all difficulties 
are to be instantly removed; on the contrary, I fully admit that 
differences of opinion must be expected to exist, and only ask 
the same concession from those who are opposed to my views. 

"Those who argue that the soul is material in the sense of 
being a manifestation of matter in action, must in candor, con- 
fess that they have a great many difficulties to contend with in de- 



292 Book of Knowledge. 

monstrating their views ; and they should therefore admit as I do, 
that in relation to all such questions, there must be more or less 
of honest difference of opinion since all men cannot see and judge 
alike; and each will judge according to his capacity for judging. 
No one would expect a mere peasant to understand the laws of 
electricity as they were understood by Faraday; and the same 
difference must exist with well-educated men, for they are not 
all on the same level, and therefore they cannot see with the 
same eyes. 

" The ideas of beauty presented to the mind by the works of 
Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian and Murillo vary as widely as does 
the style of those great painters and the appreciation of those 
who contemplate them. 

" Some maintain that the German composers are the finest 
the world ever produced, others are equally ready to do battle 
in favor of the Italian School. 

" There are men who, with Plato, would banish poets from 
the republic of letters ; others believe them to be the first and best 
of educators. Carlyle sometimes waxes furious when speaking 
of the fine arts which others believe to be essential to the well- 
being of society. 

" In like manner men of equal integrity differ respecting 
religious theories; and, therefore, the only safe conclusion to be 
arrived at is that human beings are not capable of seeing alike, 
but that reasoning upon precisely the same evidence men will 
reach opposite conclusions, and, consequently, that opposite 
opinions must be held. 

" This, however, can be very easily accounted for by those 
who maintain that our present life is but one of a series of lives 
through which we must pass in order to attain perfection, and 
in each of which we are only capable of a certain amount of 
growth and development. 

" Those who deny Spiritualism as a whole and who believe 
the present life to be the all of existence, must confess that they 
have some difficult points to explain. For instance, what is to be 
said about memory and its relation to matter? It is assumed that 
all our mental perceptions are inseparably associated with the 
brain, and what is seen by the physical eye is afterwards seen by 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 293 

the mental eye, both, however, being material; in which case it 
must follow that the impressions received are actually stamped 
upon material substance ; so that what men call ' remembering ' 
is literally nothing more than bringing out the old mental pho- 
tograph which has been stored in the brain. 

" There is, however, a physiological difficulty connected with 
this assumption. Physiologists inform us that the human body 
is perpetually undergoing change; that at every instant of time 
new matter is taking place of the old, and that at short intervals 
the body is so completely changed that not an atom of its former 
self remains. This change, too, and especially with those who 
read and think much, is more active, they tell us, in the brain 
than in other parts of the body; so that, it is concluded, only a 
still shorter time is needed to insure a complete change of the 
matter of which the brain is composed. This being the case, 
and no physiologist will dispute it, how can it be accounted for 
that we are capable of remembering events that occurred and 
scenes we viewed thirty or forty years ago? The scenes of our 
childhood are still visible to the mental eye and the tones of the 
mother's voice are still as clearly heard by the mental ear, as 
they were forty years before, when first they sounded through the 
physical chambers. 

" Is it possible to explain this fact by the material theory ? 
To do so it is necessary to suppose that the old matter, which 
originally received the impressions, restamped these upon the 
new ; and that this process was repeated every time the molecules 
of matter were changed ; that is to say twelve or fifteen times in 
a life-time. 

" But how can this be done and we remain unconscious of 
the process? If my seeing a waterfall with the physical eye 
produces a mental picture I recall at pleasure how can that men- 
tal picture of the waterfall be stamped into my new brain matter 
without my being conscious of the act ? For the restamping must 
be necessary in all cases, even those in which for many years 
the scene remembered has not recurred to the mind ; and, ob- 
viously, in such cases the ideas of things must have passed from 
old molecules to new ones without our being in any way conscious 
of the transaction. 



294 Book of Knowledge. 

" Surely this is harder to believe than is the theory, that 
memory is a result of the action of a spiritual element in our 
nature, which remains essentially the same during its connection 
with the physical body the particles of which are constantly 
changing. 

" Then there is the difficulty of explaining how matter can 
produce ideas. Is it not impossible to speak of ideas as of mate- 
rial objects? Can we conceive of extension or ponderability in 
connection with our thoughts? To speak of a pound of sorrow 
or of an ounce of hope seems impossible ; we cannot expect either 
music or poetry from the rock or the plant; yet both the latter 
enter into the composition of our mortal bodies; and it ought 
to be as feasible to extract the former from the earth or from 
potatoes in their natural condition, as after they have been con- 
sumed, if matter can think and produce ideas. 

" Of course it will be said that we must not expect ideas from 
matter before it becomes organized; but here again a difficulty 
occurs. It is generally said by physiologists, that in chemical 
composition as in formation no difference exists between the 
brain of the Esquimau and that of the most highly cultivated 
European. Their elements and their mode of organization are 
the same; and yet how different are the men! But would this 
be the case, if it were true that matter produces ideas ? Should 
not the same results follow from the same organization? The 
question cannot be one of weight, because it is known that the 
contents of the skull of some Esquimaux or Red Indians weigh 
more than do those of some educated Europeans. Plato is re- 
ported as having had a very large head ; and it has been argued 
from this that he was therefore more capable of laborious thought. 
It is also said that from men of small heads we have no right to 
expect great works of philosophy or art. But is it not well- 
known that very bad men have had large heads ? Look at a col- 
lection of busts, from those of bad Roman Emperors down to 
the modern murderers, and how many of them are found to have 
larger heads than some who have worked nobly for the elevation 
of the human race. 

" If the quality of mind resulted solely from the size of the 
brain, we should have a right to expect equal results from equal 
weights; this, however, is not the case. 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 295 

" If space permitted a legion of kindred difficulties might be 
suggested ; enough, however, has been said to prove that modesty 
should be shown by Anti-Spiritualists when insisting upon 
what they are pleased to call ' the weakness of spirit evidence.' 

" But the Spiritualist does not pretend that he has no difficul- 
ties to contend with; on the contrary, he confesses them, and 
knows that it is in the nature of the case for them to exist; the 
Spiritualist admits it to be impossible for him to show the soul 
as he can show a physical organ ; or to analyze it as he does gases 
and solids. But he has a full consciousness of its existence; and 
is sensible of the fact that it is spirit alone which can give evi- 
dence of itself. Soul alone can conceive of soul. Material bodies 
can only be tested by material agents; and, as the lesser cannot 
comprehend the greater, it is certain that self-consciousness is the 
true evidence of the soul's existence. 

" How can a child comprehend a man ? Can the lower nature 
comprehend the higher? Does the coward understand the hero? 
In like manner, it is soul alone that can conceive of soul ; and 
according to their degrees of development, do souls comprehend 
each other? 

" It is therefore but reasonable to accept the evidence of our 
self-consciousness, as we do that of our nervous system; we feel 
a pain, but cannot prove the fact to our neighbors, still we are 
sure of it through our self-consciousness. 

" We must deal in a similar way with the question of immor- 
tality; and it is somewhat curious that this question should be 
debated; since the Materialists, though denying a future state 
to the mind, are ready enough to admit their belief, that matter 
cannot be destroyed ; this being so, how can they conceive of the 
destruction of its properties? Vitality may be latent for ages; 
but supply the conditions necessary for the manifestation, and 
at once it becomes active. Seed found in the hand of an Egyptian 
mummy has been sown and produced abundantly, yet no one 
doubted that the seed had been enclosed about four thousand 
years. According to the Materialist, this vitality is a property 
of matter; and if the Materialists are right, so also is conscious- 
ness ; why then, if the former be persistent may not the latter be 
so too? Does it not rather appear that once developed it ought 



296 Book of Knowledge. 

to go on forever? Nature wastes nothing; but is economical in 
the use of her materials ; why then suppose that the atom will per- 
sist but the mind that studied it will perish ; that the earth will re- 
main, but the genius that solves its mysteries of flower, tree and 
stone will perish ? Does not the consciousness of the superior value 
of our inner selves become evidence in favor of the idea that 
the higher nature will survive the changes of matter, and live on 
in knowledge, when the materials of the physical frame will 
have been reincorporated with a thousand other forms? 

" It is at this point that Spiritualism comes to our aid by fur- 
nishing proof of the soul's immortality. Unhappily, however, so 
numerous are the mocking voices it cannot obtain the unbiased 
hearing its great importance demands; a consequence probably 
of its being somewhat in advance of the age, and, to some extent, 
on account of the impositions which have been practised in its 
name. 

" When it was proposed to light London with gas no less 
a man than Sir Walter Scott printed his protest against the ridic- 
ulous attempt to light the streets of a city with smoke. What 
was reported by a Committee of the House of Commons against 
railways? And who has not heard of the scorn encountered by 
the first advocates of vaccination and of oceanic telegraphy? 
Still these discoveries have all made their way, as Spiritualism 
will do ere long, for nothing can resist the collective evidence in 
its favor. 

" Nor is that evidence so completely modern as many seem 
to suppose, for in all history the belief has prevailed that spirits 
having left their mortal bodies were permitted to communicate 
with those they loved and who were still in the flesh. Homer, 
Herodotus, Plato, Cicero, etc., all speak distinctly as to the belief 
entertained by the ancient nations, and when we read the history 
of Saul and Samuel and the ' Witch of Endor,' we cannot doubt 
as to what was the belief of the Hebrew people. 

" In the Christian world the belief has never failed, and this 
not merely because it is pleasing to believe that the dear ones 
dead still take an interest in our condition; but because of testi- 
mony given by so many of the noblest and purest of men and 
women to the fact that they have been thus visited. From the 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 297 

days of the Christian fathers there is an unbroken line of testi- 
mony to this fact, and curiously enough, it is borne by men who 
are applauded for everything but this belief in Spiritualism. 
When they speak of what they saw and knew they are rejected ; 
but are reverently believed when speaking about matters of specu- 
lation. 

" It is not here denied that errors have been mingled with 
the aforesaid belief, but what is contended for is this, that when 
so many millions of people, led by thousands of eminent men, 
have believed themselves to be in direct communication with the 
spirits of the dead, and when the wisest of human teachers 
have recorded the fact of their experience, no one can be justified 
in denying these statements until he has gained such a knowledge 
of the economy of the universe as will entitle him to say that 
all such communications are impossible. We must first know 
what is possible before saying that such visits are impossible. 

" Those who developed the telegraphic systems cared nothing 
for the outsiders who said that such a mode of sending messages 
must, in the nature of things, be ' impossible.' Relying upon 
their own experience, although unable to understand the nature 
of the phenomena of electricity they still went on and now we 
send our messages round the world. 

" In the presence of ' so great a crowd of witnesses ' it appears 
almost superfluous to speak of my own experience, and yet I 
must do so, for I know by what, to myself, are infallible proofs 
of the truth, that spirits do hold communication with us. I 
never doubted the immortality of the soul so that I did not need 
confirmation of the fact, yet I gladly testify that it has been given 
to me and in great abundance. And to show that I have not 
been self-deceived, I will mention one particular fact. 

" During a period of five months I was a ' medium,' and even 
when sitting alone, I have frequently had communications so 
clear and distinct that mistake was impossible, for ideas have 
been thus conveyed to me which previously had no place in 
my mind. 

" This power suddenly quitted me and it has never returned. 
Now had it been a case of self-deception, is it not clear that it 
would have continued, seeing that as far as health, mental power, 



298 Book of Knowledge. 

and belief in spiritual communications are concerned, I under- 
went no change. 

" Then again, I have sat in my own house with personal 
friends, no other medium but myself being present; and the 
communications respecting departed relatives and friends were 
alike interesting and remarkable. I have been told of many 
things about them of which I had no previous knowledge and 
which the persons sitting with me could not have known, for the 
communications were from those who had died in distant coun- 
tries, and yet these proved to be correct; many of them have 
been in Spanish. All this has occurred to me through my own 
mediumship. 

" I have attended many seances, with more or less marked 
results, and I think it right to mention that I have sat several 
times with Mr. Home without having a single manifestation, 
even when the whole circle has been composed of friends and 
Spiritualists. At others we have obtained the most beautiful 
manifestations through his mediumship; we have thus had mes- 
sages, movements of inanimate objects, and music, perfect in 
sentiment and expression, on the accordion, which has frequently 
played in my hand when sitting near him. Of these seances it 
will probably be more interesting to mention one which, as we 
were not sitting for the purpose, should be called 'no seance/ 

" Death was in the house ; and the beloved one who had left 
us was yet uncoffined. I was sitting in the library with my son 
at the tea-table, and we were sitting close together, as the sorrow 
of the hour rendered it natural we should do, when Mr. Home was 
unexpectedly announced; he had come from a public reading, 
dressed as he had been on the platform and consequently with 
no possibility of the machinery about him which so many un- 
believers suppose him to carry concealed. He was quite unaware 
of the sad event that had occurred his first intention having been 
merely to make inquiries at the door. He drew a chair up to 
the table beside my son and affectionately placed an arm round 
his waist. 

" Raps were heard almost immediately, on the table, on the 
chandeliers and in various parts of the room; we adopted the 
usual course of repeating the alphabet, and the messages spelt 






Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 299 

out were ' Joy, not sorrow ' and ' Not gone away ' ; directly after 
this, as if in confirmation of the statement, the favorite seat of 
the departed, a large armchair, which was standing in its usual 
place near the window at the further end of the room, moved 
in a sweep towards the table at which we were sitting, and came 
nearly round to my side. Then a sofa moved across the room in 
another direction; while this was occurring we three were still 
at the table from which Mr. Home had not moved since he first 
sat down. 

" In this case there could not be any ocular delusion. No 
seance had been proposed ; we were not sitting with our hands 
on the table as is the custom at seances and the room was well 
lighted with gas. 

" My son was somewhat alarmed at what had occurred. I 
seeing the power was so great, got out an accordion which I had 
purchased myself for these occasions, and which had been twice 
changed at the shop by me, it having been pronounced out of 
tune by the invisible performers, who always showed us the fact 
by playing the discordant notes. I then begged them to play 
something in accordance with our feelings; and a very beautiful 
and solemn air was played, while Mr. Home held the instrument, 
which he did, not only under the table, but horizontally in the 
air, or above his head, according to the impulses they gave to it. 
As they finished playing, it came towards me, and Mr. Home 
told me to take it, which I did, and it then played a favorite 
tune which I asked for, partly in my hand and partly in his as 
he took it from me, when the sounds had become faint from my 
want of power. 

" What could I do but believe the evidence of my own senses, 
corroborated too, as that evidence has been by so many others ? 

" To multiply narratives of this kind is comparatively use- 
less; were it not so, I could fill a large volume with reports of 
remarkable seances at which I have been present. I prefer to 
add a few remarks respecting the value of spirit communication 
and first as to the curious fact that to the same question different 
spirits give various and sometimes contradictory answers. There 
is a stumbling block to many but the reason of the fact is clear 
and not far to seek. Some people suppose that when the spirit 



300 Book of Knowledge. 

has left the body, it is immediately enlightened and purified, so 
that it at once learns all it will ever know and becomes perfect. 
But is that a rational supposition? Can it be believed that im- 
mediately after death the soul of the illiterate shoe-black becomes 
all at once enlightened as the soul of Shakespeare? Who can 
imagine that the soul of Mrs. Manning can be changed instantly 
after death so as to become as pure and holy as that of Mrs. Fry ? 
In the order of nature there are no such sudden transformations 
and we have no right to expect them after death. 

" On the contrary, we should expect that growth in knowledge 
and goodness will be in the future as gradual as it is in the pres- 
ent, and if this be so, we can at once account for the contradictory 
answers so frequently given by spirits; if one of these has but 
recently left us, it cannot know much more than it knew while in 
the flesh, and therefore will err when speaking of subjects it 
can only fully understand, when it has reached a much higher 
degree of knowledge. 

" In like manner the moral nature requires a long period of 
time to change from bad to good ; so that if a soul passes away 
while steeped in sin and falsehood, it cannot all at once become 
pure and true ; such a spirit if called upon to answer a question, 
is therefore as likely to speak ignorantly and falsely, as it would 
have been while in the flesh. This we are learning from our in- 
tercourse with the spirit-world, and we believe it to be true be- 
cause it harmonizes with what commonsense teaches us must 
be the case in that world as in this. It will possibly be said, that 
this must cast more or less doubts on all spirit communications; 
but no spirit has ever imagined that absolute reliance is to be 
placed in what spirits say. We must always use our own judg- 
ment in regard to these communications and take each of them 
for what they may be worth. 

" All the spirits with whom I have had communication have 
invariably told me that they do grow in knowledge and 
goodness, and this through being incarnated; that they return 
to this earth many times, as many as are necessary for enabling 
them to grow to perfection. 

" This quite accords with my own deep conviction. If I be 
asked how long it would take a spirit to rise through the various 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 301 

degrees until it is fitted for leaving this sphere I could not answer, 
except to say, there will be time enough in eternity for the due 
perfection of all, however imperfect may be their natures to-day, 
and in the hope and conviction I rest content, quite certain that 
such a thing as eternal punishment is altogether contrary to the 
great law of God which is written on all His works — the law 
of eternal progress. 

" The sin we have committed, or are inclined to commit, we 
shall suffer for until we have thoroughly purged it out of our 
natures; the wrong we have done we shall expiate and we shall 
not come out free until we have paid the uttermost farthing ; but 
we shall pay it, and go gladly on our way, when we have left 
it far behind us, ' always stretching forward towards the mark,' 
perfect happiness awaiting us as we get further on in our long 
journey, happiness which will really be our own, because we have 
worked for and earned it, and have grown up to understand and 
yearn after it. Our happiness will be to all good, all wise, all pure, 
1 perfect as our Father is perfect.' Can any single life on earth 
perfect us sufficiently even to comprehend such perfection? And 
yet the standard was given! 

" In these latter days science has come to help us on our 
way and show us the weak points of the old creeds. But lest we 
should bow down and content ourselves with science alone, Spirit- 
ualism has come with it, side by side, the same discoveries in 
electricity which enable us to send our thoughts to the other side 
of the earth were borne by Benjamin Franklin to the other side 
of the grave, and also serve our spirit friends to produce the 
little rap that sends a thrill of joy through our frame, as we 
receive a telegraphic message from those who have gone before 
us to that bright shore, proving that we are still loved and re- 
membered and that the dead are not dead and can never die ; and 
in this certainty I rest content, not doubting that as time passes, 
Spiritualism will become triumphant and that the noble doctrine 
to which it bears testimony — that of the reincarnation — will be 
received by all classes and conditions of men; giving them that 
peace and consolation which no other doctrine has succeeded in 
giving to humanity. 

" M. de Medina Pomar." 



302 Book of Knowledge. 

MR. WILLIAM HOWITT. 

The Orchard, Esher, Feb. 26, 1869. 

Dear Sir: On my return from a fortnight's absence, I 
find on my table a letter from you on behalf of the Dialectical 
Society, wishing for information on the subject of Spiritualism 
in reference to an investigation into its phenomena, proposed 
to be made by the Society. This statement will explain the 
cause of my silence. I reply to you now at once. 

I am by no means sanguine of any good result from the in- 
quiries of such committees. Englishmen, otherwise well ad- 
vanced in the intelligence of the time, are, as it regards Spirit- 
ualism, twenty years behind the literary and scientific publics 
of France, Germany, Switzerland and the United States of 
America. Scores of societies of those countries, and millions 
of individuals, have entered upon and passed actively through 
the investigations which you are now commencing, ten, fifteen 
and twenty years ago. However, better late than never. Like 
the Seven Sleepers and Rip Van Winkle, some few of our 
Englishmen of science and literature are at length waking up, 
to find the world of intelligence abroad gone far ahead of them. 
Though late, it is still laudable. Perhaps when the Dialectical 
Society has determined the present point it will set on foot a 
similar inquiry into the correctness of the theory of the Coper- 
nican system, of that of the circulation of the blood, of the 
principle of gravitation, and of the identity of lightning and 
electricity; for Spiritualism, having now received the assent 
of about twenty millions of people in all countries, after per- 
sonal examination, stands fairly on the same basis of fact that 
they do. Pray do not, however, imagine me disposed to be 
satirical. I am simply asserting what appears to me a most 
prominent and unavoidable truth. 

You ask me to give you any suggestions which I may think 
calculated to assist you in your inquiry. Most willingly; but 
I am afraid that it will be much easier for me to suggest than 
for you to adopt my chief suggestion, which is, to endeavor 
before opening your inquiries, to divest your minds of all 
prejudice on the subject. The tendency of both philosophy 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 303 

and general education for more than a century has been, whilst 
striving to suppress all prejudice, to create a load of prejudice 
against everything spiritual. Science, philosophy and general 
opinion have assumed, more and more, a material character, 
and in no country more than in this. I must say to you as 
judges say to juries, " Gentlemen : Divesl your minds of all 
mere hearsay ; fix them only on the evidence." It is not easy ; 
but till you have done this, you can make no real progress in 
your present inquiry. You may as well expect the delicate 
flowers of your conservatories to flourish in a night's frost out 
of doors. To produce correct results you must establish the 
necessary conditions. Now, if you follow the example of 
Messrs. Faraday and Tyndall, and insist on dictating condi- 
tions on a subject of which you are ignorant, failure is in- 
evitable. You must come to the subject with candor, and be 
willing to study carefully the laws and characteristics of the 
matter under consideration. It is from obedience or dis- 
obedience to this principle that inquiries instituted by societies, 
or by small companies of persons with minds open to the truth, 
have succeeded or failed. The results of such inquiries are, 
that whilst societies and committees have retired generally 
from the investigation without obtaining positive facts, and 
therefore believing that no such existed, private companies and 
individuals have obtained the most unquestionable spiritual 
phenomena to the amount of twenty millions of believers. 
From time to time, accordingly, we have learnt that Spiritual- 
ism has been demonstrated undeniably to be a myth and a 
delusion ; that it was dead and gone ; that the Davenports and 
other mediums have been proved imposters and utterly put 
down; the truth being all the time that the Davenports re- 
mained as genuine mediums as before, and that Spiritualism 
has gone forward, advancing and expanding its field of action, 
without the least regard to the failures, the falsehoods, the 
misrepresentations and the malice of men. 

Your second wish expressed is, that I would " endeavor to 
throw some light on the connection apparently existing be- 
tween Spiritualism and animal magnetism, or would refer you 
to any books other than Reichenbach, Gregory, Feuchters- 
leben, Ennemoser, Lee, Ashburner, myself, etc/' 



304 Book of Knowledge. 

In referring you to a few of the leading works on the sub- 
ject, and especially to those more particularly dealing with the 
connection between Spiritualism and magnetism, I may excuse 
myself from entering on my own views on this subject, which 
would extend too far the limits of this letter. 

From the first fact to which I have alluded, that of the very 
late period at which Englishmen of letters have entered on this 
inquiry compared with those of other countries, there exists 
an extensive spiritual literature in both America, France, Swit- 
zerland and Germany. I can for your present purposes indi- 
cate only a very few of these works, and those exclusively by 
scientific and learned writers. 

Amongst American works on Spiritualism you should care- 
fully read the Introduction, by Judge Edmonds, to " Spiritual- 
ism," by Judge Edmonds and G. T. Dexter, where you have 
the experiences of an able lawyer testing evidence as he would 
do in a court of justice. 

Next, the " Investigations " of Professor Hare, in which, 
as a great electrician, he details his severe and long continued 
scrutiny into the nature of these phenomena; both he and 
Judge Edmonds having undertaken these inquiries in the full 
persuasion that they should expose and put an end to the pre- 
tensions of Spiritualism. 

I do not refer you 'here to the numerous works of A. J. 
Davis which, though most remarkable in another point of 
view, are not so necessary to your purpose. 

The " Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World," by 
the Hon. Robert Dale Owen, a carefully and clearly reasoned 
work, might be of service to you. 

Of German works : " Die Seherin von Prevorst," von Jus- 
tinus Kerner, M.D. 

" Die Zwei Besessener." 

" Die Somnambulen Tische. Zur Geschichte und Erklar- 
nngen dieser Erscheinung." 

Dr. Kerner was a man of profound science, and distin- 
guished by his works in different departments. His " Seeress 
of Prevorst," who was his patient, has been translated by Mrs. 
Crowe. The remarkable phenomena recorded in this work 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 305 

are especially valuable, as they have all been so fully and widely 
confirmed by the experiences of spiritualists of all countries 
since. 

Next in importance to these are the inquiries of Herr D. 
Hornung, the late secretary of the Berlin Magnetic Associa- 
tion: 

1. " Neue Geheimnisse des Tages durch Geistes Magnetis- 
mus," Leipsic, 1857. 

2. " Neuste Erfahrungen aus dem Geisterleben." Leipsic, 
1858. 

3. " Heinrich Heine, der Unsterbliche " ; also a brief con- 
tinuation of his inquiries. 

These works contain the steady and persevering researches 
and experiments of Herr Hornung and a select body of friends 
through a course of years. Hornung commenced the inquiry 
as a practical magnetist, and continued it with unwearied assi- 
duity, tracing the phenomena through all their phases, and 
availing himself of the experiences of scientific men in all parts 
of Germany, in Switzerland, France and Italy. 

The works of Gorres, one of the most learned journalists 
and historians of Germany, especially his " Christliche Mystik," 
abound with extraordinary facts, but would require a long 
time to peruse them. 

In French : " The Pneumatologie of the Marquis de Mir- 
ville. ,, 

" Extraits de la Pneumatologie," etc. 

"Des Tables Tournantes; du Surnaturel en General et des 
Esprits," of the Comte de Gasparin. 1854. 

" Tables Tournantes " de Comte de Szapary. 1854. 

The works of Baron Dupotet and of Puysegur. 

" Pneumatologie Positive et Experimentale," par le Baron 
de Guldenstubbe. 

The works of M. Segouin, who through magnetism was 
convinced of the truth of Spiritualism. 

Cahagnet's " Arcanes de la Vie Future Devoiles," and his 
" Encyclopedic Magnetique et Spirituelle." 4 torn. 

But, perhaps, most important of all as regards your in- 
quiry is the correspondence of the two celebrated professors 



306 Book of Knowledge. 

of magnetism, M.M. Deleuze and Billot, who, in prosecuting 
their magnetic researches were, each unknown to the other, 
surprised by the presence of spiritual phenomena of the most 
decided and varied kind. Glimpses of an arriere pensee in 
their published works led to an explanation between them, 
which was published in two volumes in Paris in 1836. I may 
add the " Journal de l'Ame," of Dr. Roessinger of Geneva, and 
his " Fragment sur l'Electricite Universelle." 

In Italian : Consoni's " Varieta Elettro-Magnetico e Rela- 
tiva Spiegazione." 

These works, by men chiefly of scientific eminence, are more 
than can be mastered in a short time — they are only a sample, 
the rest are legion, spiritual literature comprising many hun- 
dred volumes; for, as I have said, your Society is now enter- 
ing on a field as new which has been traversed and reaped 
many years ago. And, after all, though evidently disembodied 
spirits come into contact with embodied ones through the 
agency of magnetism and electricity, there is probably an inner 
cognate force operating in the process which, like the principle 
of life, lies too deep for discovery by any human powers. 

With my best wishes for the successful prosecution of your 
proposed labors, 

I remain, dear Sir, yours faithfully, 

iWlLLIAM HOWITT. 

SIR EDWIN ARNOLD. 

Sidcup Lodge, Sidcup, S. E., July 10, 1869. 
Sir: I have never yet been able to fulfil my intention of 
expressing, either by letter or viva voce, my conclusions upon 
the question of " spiritual manifestations." In the first place 
the great extent of the subject, and, in the next, my unceasing 
occupations must explain and apologize for this. Understand- 
ing, however, that your investigations are drawing to a close, 
I feel myself bound to make some statement of my opinion 
since you have included me among your cited witnesses, and 
since I have been present at a considerable number of more 
or less remarkable seances. The long and careful inquiries 



Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society. 307 

which your committee seems to have conducted renders it less 
important that I should, as I intended, recapitulate my own 
experiences as an observer of the alleged phenomena. All I 
desire to say, and all I can say (without reservation and ex- 
planations impossible in so. limited a space) is this : that I 
regard many of the manifestations as genuine and undeniable, 
and inexplicable by any known law or any collusion, arrange- 
ment or deception of the senses; and that I conceive it to be 
my duty and the interest of the man of science and sense to 
examine and prosecute the inquiry as one which has fairly 
passed from the region of ridicule. I am not inclined to con- 
sider what I hold the veritable phenomena as being in any 
way supernatural, but rather as initiatory demonstrations of 
mental and vital power not yet comprehended, nor regularly 
exercised. With reference to the supposed interpositions and 
actions of departed spirits, I can see nothing against the anal- 
ogy of nature in this, but it is not a proved fact for me by what 
I have myself witnessed. The statement to which I am pre- 
pared to attach my name is this : That conjoined with the rub- 
bish of much ignorance and some deplorable folly and fraud, 
there is a body of well established facts beyond denial, and out- 
side any existing philosophical explanation, which facts promise 
to open a new world of human inquiry, are in the highest de- 
gree interesting, and tend to elevate ideas of the continuity of 
life, and to reconcile, perhaps, the materialist and the meta- 
physician. 

I am, Sir, faithfully yours, 

Edwin Arnold, M. A. 

PROFESSOR HUXLEY. 

24 Abbey Place, Jan. 2, 1870. 

Sir: I have been unwilling to reply to your letter of the 
18th December, 1869, hastily, and I therefore delayed my 
answer until my return from a short absence from London. 

If the gentlemen whom you mention, and for whose judg- 
ment and capacity I have every respect, have not been able in 
the course of some months to arrive at results satisfactory to 



308 Book of Knowledge. 

themselves, and capable of being stated satisfactorily to the 
scientific public, it would be mere presumption in me to enter- 
tain the hope that I should be more successful without a much 
greater expenditure of time and trouble. But for the present 
year my time and energies are already so fully preoccupied 
that it would be little short of madness for me to undertake an 
investigation of so delicate and difficult a character, the only 
result of which would be an interminable series of attacks from 
the side from which I might chance to differ. 

I hope that I am open to conviction on this or any other 
point or subject; but I must frankly confess to you that it does 
not interest me, and that I think that my duty as a man of 
science towards the public may be much better discharged by 
activity in other directions. 

I am, Sir, yours truly, 

T. H. Huxley. 



II 



CHAPTER XL 

SPIRITUALISM IN NORTH AMERICA. 

From " The History of the Supernatural/' by William 

Hovvitt. 

" For this is not a matter of to-day 
Or yesterday, but hath been from all time, 
And none hath told us whence it comes, or how." 

When Spiritualism had, for nearly a hundred years, been 
exhibiting itself in Germany under a variety of phases and had 
enlisted in its cause some of its most distinguished philosophers 
and savans, it made a new and still more general appearance in 
the Western Hemisphere. It originated in the ordinary visit 
of what the Germans had denominated a Polter-Geist, or knock- 
ing-ghost; but either the temperament of the North American 
public was more favorable to its rapid development, or the time 
had come in the general scheme of Providence for a more full 
and decided prevalence of spiritual action; for it spread with 
almost lightning rapidity, assumed new and startling forms, and 
speedily established itself a great and significant fact in the con- 
victions of more than three millions of people of all classes, 
professions and persuasions. My sketch of the history of this 
development in the United States must necessarily be slight; 
its details fill several large volumes, and may be sought for in 
Capron's history of these events, " Footfalls on the Boundary 
of Another World," by the Hon. Robert Dale Owen; in the 
works of Professor Hare, Judge Edmonds, Governor Tal- 
madge, the Rev. Adin Ballou, of J. P. Davis, the recent report 
on American Spiritualism by Mr. Benjamin Coleman, the 
English Spiritual Magazine, and many other sources. 

The spot in which the eventful origin of the American 
movement took place is thus described by Mr. Dale Owen, who 



310 Book of Knowledge. 

had visited it : " There stands, not far from the town of New- 
ark, in the county of Mayne and State of New York, a wooden 
dwelling — one of a cluster of small houses like itself, scarcely 
meriting the title of a village, but known under the name of 
Hydesville; being so-called after Dr. Hyde, an old settler, 
whose son is the proprietor of the house in question. It is a 
story and a half high, fronting south; the lower floor con- 
sisting, in 1848, of two moderate-sized rooms opening into 
each other; east of these a bedroom and a buttery, opening 
into the same room; together with a staircase between the 
bedroom and buttery leading from the sitting room up to the 
half story above, and from the buttery down to the cellar." 

Such was the humble abode where the great American 
spiritual movement commenced. A Mr. Michael Weekman, 
it appears, had occupied the house about the year 1847 an d 
had been troubled by certain knockings for which he could 
find no explanation. On the nth of December of that year, 
Mr. John D. Fox, of Rochester, a respectable farmer, moved 
into this house whilst another in the country was building. 
His family consisted of himself, his wife and six children ; but 
only the two youngest were staying with them at that time — 
Margaret, twelve years old, and Kate, nine years old. It ap- 
pears that the family of Mrs. Fox had long previously evinced 
medium power. She was of French descent, and her husband 
of German, the original name Anglicized from Voss to Fox. 
Mrs. Fox's grandmother had been possessed of second sight, 
and saw frequently funerals, whilst living in Long Island, be- 
fore they really took place. Her sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Hig- 
gins, had similar power. When the two sisters were residing 
in New York and were about to make a trip by water, Eliza- 
beth Higgins said one morning that they should not go by 
water, but by land, for she had seen the whole journey in a 
dream, in which they had not been able to obtain lodging in a 
certain tavern in the woods, the landlady lying dead in the 
house. Mrs. Fox replied that this could scarcely be so, for 
Mr. Mott, the landlord, lost his wife the year before. But all 
fell out as she had dreamed. The landlord had married again, 
and his second wife lay then dead, preventing their entertain- 



Spiritualism in North America. 311 

ment. All the circumstances of the journey were exactly as 
dreamed. 

Thus open to spiritual impressions, the Fox family entered 
the house at Hydesville, and from the very commencement 
they were disturbed by noises, but at first attributed them to 
rats and mice. In the month of January, 1848, however, the 
noises assumed the character of distinct knockings at night in 
the bedrooms, sounding sometimes as from the cellar below, 
and resembling the hammering of a shoemaker. These 
knocks produced a tremulous motion, since familiar enough to 
spiritualists, in the furniture and even in the floor. The noises 
increased nightly, and occasionally tttiey heard footsteps in the 
rooms. The children felt something heavy, as of a dog, lie on 
their feet when in bed, and Kate felt, as it were, a cold hand 
passed over her face. Sometimes the bedclothes were pulled 
off. Throughout February and to the middle of March the 
disturbances increased. Chairs and the dining table were 
moved from their places. Mr. and Mrs. Fox night after night 
lit a candle and explored the whole house in vain. Raps were 
made on doors as they stood close to them, but on suddenly 
opening them, no one was visible. It was afterwards found 
that Mr. and Mrs. Weekman, during eighteen months that 
they had occupied the house, had just the same experience as 
to the knockings, the sound of footsteps, and t ! he impossibility 
to catch any one at a door, which was suddenly opened by 
them the very instant of the knockings upon it. The Foxes 
were far from superstitious, and still hoped for some natural 
explanation, especially as the annoyances always took place at 
night. But on March 13, 1848, matters assumed a new aspect. 
That day, which was cold, stormy and snowy, they were visited 
by their son David from his farm, about three miles distant. 
His mother related to him their annoyances, on which he 
smiled and said, " Say not a word to any of the neighbors 
about it. When you find it out, it will be one of the simplest 
things in the world." And in this belief he returned home. 
But the knockings were unusually loud. The bed of the chil- 
dren had been moved into the room of the parents to give 
them confidence, and they were told to lie still, even if they 



312 Book of Knowledge. 

heard noises. But scarcely had Mrs. Fox lain down when the 
noises became violent, and the children shouted out, " Here 
they are again! " They sat up in bed, and Mrs. Fox arose and 
called her husband. He tried the sashes to see if they were 
shaken by the wind, and as he did so the little lively Kate ob- 
served that the knockings in the room exactly answered the 
rattle made by her father with the sash. Hereupon she 
snapped her ringers and exclaimed, " Here, old Split-foot, do 
as I do ! " 

The child had evidently heard it suggested that it was the 
devil that made the noises ; and if so, he was an obliging devil, 
for he immediately responded to the challenge. This at once 
attracted attention. Kate Fox made the mere motion with 
the thumb and ringer, and the raps regularly followed the 
pantomime, just as much as when she made the sound. She 
found that, whatever the thing was, it could see as well as 
hear. " Only look ! Mother," she said, bringing together her 
thumb and finger as before. The rap followed. 

" This at once," said Mr. Owen, " arrested the mother's at- 
tention." " Count ten," she said, addressing the noise. Ten 
strokes were distinctly given. " How old is my daughter Mar- 
garet?" Twelve strokes! "And Kate?" Nine! "And 
what can all this mean ? " was Mrs. Fox's thought. But the 
next question which she put seemed to refute that idea. "How 
many children have I ? " she asked aloud. Seven strokes. 
" Ah ! " she thought, " it can blunder sometimes." And then 
aloud, " Try again ! " Still the number of raps was seven. Of 
a sudden a thought crossed Mrs. Fox's mind. " Are they all 
alive?" she asked. No answer. "How many are living?" 
Six strokes. " How many are dead ? " A single stroke ; she 
had lost one child. She then asked if it was a man. No 
answer. Was it a spirit? It rapped. She then asked if the 
neighbors might hear it, and a Mrs. Redfield was called in, 
who only laughed at the idea of a ghost; but was soon made 
serious by its correcting her, too, about the number of her 
children, insisting on her having one more than she herself 
counted. She, too, had lost one; and when she reckoned this 
she burst into tears. The spirits always reckon all the chil- 



Spiritualism in North America. 313 

dren, whether so-called dead or alive, as still living. They 
admit of no such thing as death. 

Mr. Owen, in relating these facts, whilst he gives just credit 
to Kate Fox for observing the intelligence of the rapping cause, 
does not forget that such a fact has frequently been observed 
before, but had never been followed out. It is to Mrs. Fox, 
rather than to her daughter, that we are indebted for follow- 
ing it out. 

The neighbors being called in by the Foxes on this memor- 
able night of March 31, 1848, grew to a crowd of seventy or 
eighty persons. Numbers of questions were put to the spirit, 
which replied, by knocks, that it was that of a travelling trades- 
man who had been murdered by the then tenant, John Bell, 
a blacksmith, for his property. That his name was Charles B. 
Rosmer, and that his body had been buried in the cellar by 
Bell. The servant girl living with the Bells at that time, 
Lucretia Pulver, gave evidence that she had been suddenly 
sent away at the time the peddler was there, and sent for after- 
wards; had found the cellar floor had been dug up, and that 
Bell afterwards repaired the floor in the night time. The 
peddler had never been seen afterwards ; and on the floor 
being dug up to the depth of more than five feet the remains 
of a human body were found. The sensation produced by 
the publication of these events was immense. The Fox family 
became the centre of endless inquiries. Margaret, the elder 
of the two young girls, going on a visit to her married sister, 
Mrs. Fish, at Rochester, the sounds went with her, as if they 
" had been packed amongst her clothes." Public meetings 
were called, and committees were appointed to examine into 
the phenomena. There were soon plenty of assertions that 
the little girls, the Foxes, were imposters, and produced the 
sounds by their knees and toe joints ; even one of their rela- 
tions, a Mrs. Culver, declared that Kate Fox had taught her 
how it was done. But Mrs. Culver's statements would not 
stand the test of close inquiry. The little girls were submitted 
to a committee of ladies, who had them stripped, laid on pil- 
lows, and watched in such a manner that they could not pos- 



314 Book of Knowledge. 

sibly make any sounds with knees or toes without discovery; 
still the sounds went on, on walls, doors, tables, ceilings, and 
not only where the Misses Fox were, but in scores of other 
places. The spirits having found a mode of making themselves 
heard and understood, seemed determined to be heard to some 
purpose. They assumed the forms of rapping, but of rapping 
under great variety of phases. On the outside and inside of 
a door at the same time, on the floor, on the walls, ceilings, on 
tables, chairs, in the inside of cupboards and drawers, on the 
back of the red-hot fire grate, on the pages of books that 
people were reading, on the persons of the people themselves. 
Individuals were speedily discovered to be mediums, or per- 
sons through whose atmosphere the spirits were enabled to 
show their power. Where these persons were present tables 
and chairs and other furniture were moved about, raised from 
the ground, and in some cases so powerfully that six full- 
grown men have been known to be carried about a room on a 
table, the feet of which did not touch the floor, and which no 
other person touched. Handbells rose up, flew about rooms, 
and rung, as it appeared, of themselves. People became 
media of all kinds: musical, writing, drawing, healing media. 
That is, persons who knew no music had an involuntary power 
of playing excellent music on a pianoforte; other pianos played 
of themselves. People unacquainted with drawing drew striking 
sketches by merely laying their hands on paper. Others wrote 
messages from the spirits, communicating intelligence of de- 
ceased friends which filled their friends with astonishment. 
Circles were everywhere found to receive their manifestations; 
and, so early as 1852, there were thirty thousand media in the 
United States. 

It is not to be supposed that all this went on without op- 
position. On tine contrary, all the old Protestant leaven was 
dreadfully violated by this extraordinary demonstration. The 
press, the pulpit, the scientific chair, were all in agitation 
against it. It was denounced as imposture, humbug, blind 
imbecility, vilest superstition; and by the religious, on the 
other hand, as downright demonry and sorcery. No matter, 
its wonderful facts were open to every one who chose to see 



Spiritualism in North America. 315 

them; and people believed their own senses rather than the 
wild satires of learned folly. The Rev. W. R. Hayden, writing 
in 1855, sa id : " Eight short years ago not a single individual 
in the United States was known as a Spiritualist; at this date, 
2,500,000 at a moderate estimate, profess to have arrived at 
their convictions of spiritual communication from personal ex- 
perience. The average rate of increase has been 300,000 per 
annum." In two more years we find it stated in the " Spirit 
Journals " of America that the number of convert Spiritualists 
were upwards of 3,000,000, a number equal to the united mem- 
bers of all the 30,000 American churches ; far outstripping the 
conquests of Lutheranism or Methodism in their Augustan 
periods. Amongst these were statesmen, members of Con- 
gress, foreign ambassadors, judges of the higher courts, clergy- 
men in great numbers, lawyers, doctors and professors. 
Among them were Judge Edmonds ; Dr. Hare, the great elec- 
trician ; a Protestant bishop ; Professors Bush and Mapes, of 
New York, and Channing, of Boston. 

A new class of teachers sprung up amongst them, namely, 
trance-speakers, who professed to speak from direct inspira- 
tion; and eminent amongst these were Mrs. Cora Hatch, Mrs. 
Henderson, and Miss Emma Hardinge, an Englishwoman. 
Their discourses were represented as in the highest style of 
eloquence; that they had many thousand hearers on Sundays, 
and that hundreds went away without being able to get en- 
trance, though the largest halls in the largest cities were en- 
gaged for this new class of preachers. The literature was al- 
ready become voluminous, Mr. Partridge, of New York, hav- 
ing alone published nearly a hundred volumes. There were 
twenty papers and periodicals devoted to the cause. 

In proportion to the spread and success of Spiritualism 
were the endeavors of the stereotyped class of minds to ex- 
plain it away. With the stereotyped religionist, it was simply 
profane delusion or diabolic agency, for some got so far; with 
the general run of people it was all folly and nonsense, infatu- 
ation and an epidemic. With the stereotyped literary man it 
was imagination; for it is wonderful what can be ascribed to 
imagination when needful. With- the scientific it was either 



316 Book of Knowledge 

sheer imposture or merely subjective impression. A Dr. 
Rogers lit upon a theory which, for a time, was deemed utterly 
crushing. Baron Reichenbach had brought to the aid of physi- 
ologists his odyle force, a mere modification of magnetism or 
electricity, or both, according to his own assertion, but exhibit- 
ing peculiar powers. As he attributed to it a great deal of the 
action of the brain, Dr. Rogers at once invested it with the 
power of originating a spurious sort of thinking, independent 
of the mind of the individual. This he termed reflex cerebral 
action. Now, he supposed that the odyle had the power of 
laying the mind to rest, of placing it in a sort of dormant state, 
and then of throwing certain " mundane influences " on the 
brain, which were reflected, as from a mirror, back again, and 
came out through the organs of speech, through the hand in 
writing or drawing, as a kind of imagery or ghosts of thought 
— mere reflections, however, of these " mundane influences. " 
By a stretch of imagination he conceived the brain of one man 
in this condition to come into rapport with the brain of an- 
other, and the two to receive jointly and reflect back, through 
the organs of the two, these " mundane influences," as a stereo- 
scope unites two separate pictures into one. The explanatory 
theory was far more complex and unaccountable than the 
simple conception of a spirit impressing and speaking through 
a mind in full consciousness. There also wanted philosophic 
truth at the bottom of the theory; for though it is true that 
the mind can and does carry on a sort of second inferior, or 
habitual consciousness, so that exterior observation, talking, 
acting, do, at the same time, go on in walking, or even speak- 
ing, while thinking intensely on some topic. This conscious- 
ness is an act of the mind, and not merely of the brain. The 
brain, as simply matter, can have no action except what it re- 
ceives from the mind, either that of the individual himself, or 
of another mind, embodied or disembodied, acting upon it. 
The " mundane influences," or strange, wandering, floating 
ideas, should come into contact with a person's brain, willy- 
nilly, and there shape themselves into order and intelligible 
ideas, and processes of ratiocination, and statement of facts 
known to no one present, sometimes occurring at the moment 






Spiritualism in North America. 317 

on the other side of the globe, sometimes not to take place for 
years, was a theory more wonderful and incredible, besides 
being contrary to all our consciousness and experience, than a 
hundred such theories as that of simple spirit impression. It 
wanted, moreover, to account for this great and persistent 
fact, that none of these reflected " mundane influences," these 
cooperating actions of mutually biologized brains, these wan- 
dering manes, or hobgoblins of unappropriated thought- 
matter in the air, ever shaped themselves into the declaration 
that they were odyle, od, or any other oddity; but in all cases 
and places, at all times and under all circumstances, in thou- 
sands and tens of thousands, and millions of instances, that 
they were spirits and nothing else. The uniformity, ever recur- 
ring, ever existing, of these impressions and facts, was, by all 
the rules of logic and philosophy, a triumphant, incontestable 
proof of their truth. 

A Professor Mahan followed Dr. Rogers in this endeavor 
to turn the human brain into a monster Frankenstein, self- 
acting, ruthless, a shadow dealing only in shadows ; ghostly, 
yet without any ghost. Amongst the learned and scientific 
men who rose preeminently above the prejudices of their caste 
and dared to look the phenomena in the face, and applied to 
them the true tests of evidence, were Professor Hare and 
Judge Edmonds. 

Dr. Hare was the most famous practical chemist and elec- 
trician of the United States. He was born in Philadelphia in 
1781, and died there May 18, 1858. At the early age of twenty 
he was a member of the Philadelphia Chemical Society, and 
there made his first and most important discovery, the oxy- 
hydrogen blowpipe, which led to the discovery of the cele- 
brated Drummond Light. By means of this apparatus he was 
the first able to render lime, magnesia, iridium and platinum 
fusible in any considerable quantity, and perhaps the first to 
procure calcium in a pure metallic state, and strontium without 
alloy of mercury. He first announced that steam is not con- 
densible when combined with equal parts of the vapor of car- 
bon. He invented the valve-cock or gallows screw, by means 
of which perfectly air-tight communication is made between 



31 8 Book of Knowledge. 

cavities in separate pieces of apparatus. He made improve- 
ments in the voltaic pile, which enabled the American chem- 
ists to apply with success the intense powers of extended vol- 
taic couples long in advance of the general use of similar com- 
binations in Europe. In 1816 he invented the calorimeter, a 
form of battery by which a large amount of heat is produced 
with little intensity. The perfection of these forms of appa- 
ratus was acknowledged by Faraday in 1838, who adopted them 
in preference to any he could devise. (Experimental Re- 
searches, 1 124, 1 132.) It was with these batteries that the 
first application of voltaic electricity to blasting under water 
was made. This was in 1831, under the personal direction of 
Dr. Hare. In 1818 Dr. Hare had been appointed Professor 
of Chemistry in the Medical School of the University of Penn- 
sylvania, and he occupied this post till 1847 with distinguished 
ability, that is, for twenty-nine years, when he resigned. The 
" American Cyclopaedia " describes him as a " frequent speaker 
at public meetings; and in conversation, especially when it 
assumed an argumentative character, he discoursed with great 
ability. His external features were in harmony with the 
strength and massiveness of his intellect. His frame was power- 
ful and remarkable for its muscular development, and his 
breast was large and finely formed." Judge Edmonds, who 
knew him, says : " He was an excellent man, and all who knew 
him loved him for his purity, simplicity and candor." He adds 
that his courage arose from the fact that he did not know 
what it was to conceal or disguise the truth. 

Such was the man who, when Spiritualism forced itself on 
his attention, received it, as other scientific men, as a mere 
delusion of the senses. He read Faraday's explanation, and 
thought it was convincing. A Mr. Holcomb, of Southwick, 
Massachusetts, had repeated the experiments of Faraday, and 
wrote to him to say that they evidently failed; that he had him- 
self seen musical instruments played upon without any hands 
touching them, and heavy articles moved without any visible 
cause. Dr. Hare replied that he still concurred with Faraday r 
but, unlike Faraday, when he was informed of such facts, he 
determined to test these, too. He therefore introduced him- 



Spiritualism in North America. 319 

self to a lady, a celebrated medium, and watched carefully the 
phenomena. When he saw tables and other articles moved, 
and intelligible communications given through raps, he set to 
work and invented machinery to cut off all direct communica- 
tion between the medium and the results. He continued the 
experiments for two years with indefatigable industry, ingenu- 
ity and care. The details of them may be seen in his work 
on Spiritualism, " Experimental Investigation of Spiritual 
Manifestations." The result was an overwhelming mass of 
facts, utterly demolishing the Faraday theory. The demon- 
strations were mathematically correct and precise; first, a 
power beyond that of human, or of any known mundane 
agency; second, of intelligence not derived from minds in the 
body. Here, then, was one great step gained: the phenomena 
were real, and not reconcilable to any physical theory. The 
next question to satisfy himself upon was, whether they pro- 
ceeded from distinct disembodied spirits. To decide this 
point Dr. Hare adopted this plan: He had gradually become 
himself developed as a medium ; and, sitting down at his own 
table he frequently received communications professedly from 
his father and a deceased sister. One day, on the spirit calling 
herself his sister presenting herself at his table, as manifested 
through raps, he told her he wished her to do him a little 
service. She replied that she would, if it were in her power. 
He was then on a visit to Cape May, about a hundred miles 
from Philadelphia; and he requested her to go to Philadelphia 
and desire Mrs. Gourlay, the medium, to get Dr. Gourlay, her 
husband, to call at a certain bank and ask the note clerk a 
question as to the passing through of a bill, and bring him the 
answer by half-past three. The spirit promised, and was ab- 
sent for half an hour; but had then returned with the answer. 
Dr. Hare made no other communication to Mrs. Gourlay on 
the subject ; but on his return to Philadelphia in about a fort- 
night, he inquired of Mrs. Gourlay if she had received any mes- 
sage from him during his absence. She said yes, and under 
very extraordinary circumstances. She was receiving a com- 
munication from her spirit mother when the communication 
suddenly stopped, and his spirit messenger gave her the com- 



320 Book of Knowledge. 

mission. It was attended to by Dr. Gourlay, and the answer 
returned to him by the spirit. Dr. Hare then went to the 
bank and ascertained from the note clerk that Dr. Gourlay 
called on the day named, asked a question and received the 
answer, which had been returned to Dr. Hare by the spirit 
messenger. Dr. Hare was thus assured that he had had an 
actual spirit messenger and was perfectly satisfied. 

But other doubts had to be destroyed in him by Spiritual- 
ism. He had all his life been a determined infidel, disbelieving 
in God, the immortality of the soul, and in revelation. He had 
told Judge Edmonds that he had collated and published offen- 
sive passages from the Bible to impeach the validity of the 
so-called revelation; that he would put down Spiritualism also, 
which claimed to be a revelation. Having convinced himself, 
however, of his first error as to spirit, his further inquiries con- 
vinced him of the truth of the Christian revelation ; and a little 
before his death he called on the Judge, and said his sister, 
who had been dead many years, had come to him, and so 
thoroughly identified herself to him as to convince him that 
it was she, and that she still lived. He had reasoned thus: 
" If she lives, I shall live also, and there is an immortality ; if 
an immortality, there must be — there is a God. But," said he, 
" Judge, I do not stop there. I believe in revelation, and in 
a revelation through Jesus of Nazareth. I am a Christian." 
A grand answer to the cui bono. 

In speaking of the conversion of Professor Hare to Chris- 
tianity, Judge Edmonds says : " In the introduction to my 
second volume on ' Spiritualism/ I published some twenty let- 
ters from different persons, showing that the writers of these 
letters were but a few of the long list of such conversions." 
Professor Hare himself, in his work, says that five and twenty 
thousand persons had been converted from atheism and deism 
to Christianity in the United States alone in his time. Dr. 
Gardner, of Boston, goes farther in the Banner of Light, 
and says : " Millions in our country have, like myself, become 
convinced of the immortality of the soul, who were skeptical 
before the interposition of spirit-communion." What so-called 
Christian church of to-day can produce such testimony to its 



Spiritualism in North America. 321 

spiritual life? As Professor Hare determined to explode the 
impositions of Spiritualism by scientific inquiry, so did Judge 
Edmonds by the acumen of legal sagacity. We have this on 
his own evidence : " I went into the investigation originally 
thinking it a deception, and intending to make public my ex- 
posure of it. Having, from my researches, come to a different 
conclusion, I feel that the obligation to make known the result 
is just as strong; therefore it is, mainly, that I give the result 
to the world. I say mainly because there is another considera- 
tion which influences me, and that is the desire to extend to 
others a knowledge which I am conscious cannot but make 
them happier and better." The Judge was born in Hudson, 
United States, in 1799. He received a classical education and 
entered on the study of the law in his eighteenth year. He en- 
tered the office of Martin Van Buren, the ex-President, in 1819, 
and in 1820 commenced practise in his native town. He 
edited a newspaper for some time, and became an officer in 
the militia. By successive degrees he became a member of 
the State Senate, President of the Senate, a commissioner to 
the Indian tribes, inspector of the prison at Sing Sing, Circuit 
Judge, Judge of tJhe Supreme Court, Judge of the Court of 
Appeals, etc. On avowing his conviction of the truth of Spirit- 
ualism he was assailed by such vituperation and slander that 
he resigned his judgeship, and before returning to his practise 
at the bar he made a tour of two months, boldly to lecture on 
and spread his new faith. He went from Boston in the east to 
the Mississippi River in the west, as far south as the Ohio 
River and as far north as Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He says 
that in this tour he found Spiritualism so generally diffused, 
and every Spiritualist, whatever his previous opinion on the 
subject, so invariably an anti-slavery man that he declared on 
his return that Spiritualism would prove the death-blow of 
slavery. 

At the bar Judge Edmonds, notwithstanding his Spiritual- 
ism, speedily rose to a first-rate practise; and some time ago 
was elected by men of all parties to the office of Recorder of 
New York, one of the most important and responsible posi- 
tions in the gift of the people. This office he respectfully de- 



^22 Book of Knowledge. 

clined. We may complete the sketch of the worthy Judge by 
the testimony of a very competent witness, the Hon. N. P. 
Talmadge, late United States Senator and Governor of Wis- 
consin : " I knew him as a man of finished classical education, 
a profound lawyer, astute in his investigations and in analyzing 
testimony, unsurpassed in legal opinions, and in the discharge 
of his high judicial duties; and, above all, I knew him to be a 
man of unimpeachable integrity, and the last to be duped by an 
imposture, or carried away by an illusion." The Judge tells 
us that he first turned his attention to the raps, but soon found 
them appearing so far from the mediums, sometimes on the 
tops of doors, and in all parts of rooms where the mediums 
had never been before, and where they could not reach; ap- 
pearing at all times, travelling in carriages, on railroads, or at 
times when the hands and feet of the medium were all held. 
" After depending on my senses/' he says, " as to the various 
phases of the phenomena, I invoked the aid of science, and 
with the assistance of an excellent electrician and his machin- 
ery, and of eight or ten intelligent, educated, shrewd persons, 
I examined the matter. We pursued our inquiries many days, 
and established to our satisfaction two things : First, that the 
sounds were not produced by the agency of any person pres- 
ent or near us ; and, secondly, that they were not forthcoming 
at our will." 

This was acting in a rational, common-sense manner, very 
different to the cowardly conduct of scientific and learned men 
in England who, after taking a glance at Spiritualism and find- 
ing it very shattering to their philosophy, contented them- 
selves with observing it at a distance. In the course of these 
investigations, the judge saw a great variety of physical phe- 
nomena. Among others, a mahogany table, having only one 
central leg, and with a lamp burning upon it, lifted from the 
floor at least a foot in spite of the efforts of those present, and 
shaken backwards and forwards as one would shake a goblet 
in his hand, and the lamp retain its place though its glass pend- 
ants rang again. The same table tipped up with the lamp 
upon it so far that the lamp must have fallen off unless detained 
there by something else than its own gravity; and a dinner 



Spiritualism in North America. 323 

bell, taken trom a high shelf in a closet, rang over the heads 
of four or five persons in that closet, then rang around the 
room over the heads of twelve or fifteen persons in the back 
parlor, was then borne through the folding doors to the farther 
end of the front parlor and then dropped on the floor. Of 
such things he says that he saw hundreds of cases, and such 
things are now so familiar that they need no citing. He pro- 
ceeded to the examination of the higher phenomena — com- 
munications from deceased friends, questions often put only 
mentally and answered only by the alphabet. He himself be- 
came a writing and drawing medium. He found his inmost 
thoughts read and stated by the spirits. He heard the mediums 
use Greek, Latin, Spanish, and French words when he knew 
that they were wholly ignorant of any language but their own. 
He heard conversations in foreign and unknown tongues by 
those unacquainted with either. He addressed a request 
through a public journal, The Banner of Light, for well 
attested cases of persons who spoke or wrote languages which 
they had never learned, to be given with names of persons and 
places, so that they might be scrutinized and proved; and in 
his " Letters on Spiritualism," he gives, besides other cases 
under his own observation, twenty-four letters from different 
reliable persons, with names and dates, detailing very extraor- 
dinary instances of such cases. In his " Spiritual Tracts," 
Tract No. VI, he gives many other examples of such cases in 
well-known persons, occurring in the presence of himself and 
others whose names are given, and amongst those thus speak- 
ing, his own daughter and a daughter of Governor Tallmadge. 
In a word, Judge Edmonds became fully convinced, as any 
person must who pursues a like honest and common-sense 
course when the matter of inquiry is a fact. His daughter, 
who for a long time was greatly averse to Spiritualism, became 
by force of over-ruling evidence also convinced; became a 
striking medium, frequently speaking languages that she had 
never learned; and both father and daughter have remained 
firm and active promoters of the truth. The judge lost his 
wife some years ago, but soon received messages from her; 
and he records of Spiritualism that "there is in it that which 



324 Book of Knowledge. 

comforts the mourner and binds up the broken heart; that 
which smoothes the passage to the grave and robs death of its 
terrors ; that which enlightens the atheists and cannot but 
reform the vicious; that which cheers and encourages the vir- 
tuous amid all trials and vicissitudes of life ; and that which 
demonstrates to man his duty and his destiny, leaving the 
latter no longer vague and uncertain." 

Professor Hare and Judge Edmonds may be taken as the 
examples of a large class of the learned and scientific men in 
America, among them Governor Tallmadge, Professors Mapes 
and Gray, men of great eminence and universal recognition. 
The Rev. Adin Ballou has left his opinions in an admirable 
little work on the subject, and many others have written 
voluminously in its defense. Theodore Parker, the celebrated 
Unitarian minister, though not a professed Spiritualist, bore 
this testimony to the Spiritualists : " This party has an idea 
wider and deeper than Catholic or Protestant ; namely, that 
God still inspires men as much as ever; that He is imminent in 
spirit and in space." 

But this was not the case with all the learned and scientific. 
Many of them attacked Spiritualism with an increasing acri- 
mony, equal to any such melancholy exhibitions in England. 

The religious world did not omit to examine into the claims 
of Spiritualism. The Rev. Charles Beecher, at a regular meet- 
ing of the Congregational Association of New York and 
Brooklyn, was appointed to investigate the " Spiritual Mani- 
festations." It should be borne in mind that he is the pastor 
of a regular orthodox church. In his elaborate report, made 
after a most careful and laborious examination of these phe- 
nomena, he assumes the 'hypothesis that " spirits can only ob- 
tain access through prepared odylic conditions ; that this was 
the mode of communication by the ancient prophets, and to 
substitute any other theory cuts up by the roots large portions 
of the Scriptures." And he adds : " Whenever odylic condi- 
tions are right, spirits can no more be repressed from com- 
municating than water from jetting through the crevices of a 
dyke." Mr. Beecher concludes by saying: 



Spiritualism in North America. 325 

" Whatever physiological law accounts for odylic phenom- 
ena in all ages will, in the end, inevitably carry itself through 
the Bible, its prophecies, ecstacies, trances, theophanies and 
angelophanies are more or less tinged with odylic characteristics. 
The physiology, the anthropology of the Bible is highly odylic, 
and must be studied as such. As such it will be found to har- 
monize with the general principles of human experience in all 
such matters, in all ages. If a theory be adopted everywhere 
else but in the Bible, excluding spiritual intervention by odylic 
channels in toto, and accounting for everything physically, 
then will the covers of the Bible prove but pasteboard barriers. 
Such a theory will sweep its way through the Bible, and its 
authority, its plenary inspiration, will be annihilated. On the 
other hand, if the theory of spiritual intervention through 
odylic channels be accepted in the Bible, it cannot be shut up 
there, but must sweep its way through the wide domain of 
popular ' superstitions/ as they are called, separating the ele- 
ment of truth on which those superstitions are based, and 
asserting its own authoritative supremacy." 

Similar views have been avowed by the late Rev. Henry 
Ward Beecher, who was one of the most vigorous and eloquent 
preachers of America. In a sermon on Ephesians 1 : 13-14, he 
declared that he had often been in that state which links us 
with another and a 'higher life. " One of these occasional 
openings into the other world; a state in which the invisible 
world is more potent and real than the visible world; and in 
which we see through the body and discern the substance of 
eternal truths." 

The discussions betwixt the Spiritualists and anti-Spirit- 
ualists of America have been infinite; and many of the most 
violent opponents have, of late years, owned their entire con- 
version to the truth they had so energetically spurned at. 

Amongst the various forms of spiritual manifestation in the 
United States, besides the physical ones already spoken of, the 
more intellectual ones of spirit-writing, spirit-drawing, and per- 
formance of music are very remarkable. In some of these 
cases writing and drawing were done through the hands of 
mediums, in others without any human hand at all, directly by 



326 Book of Knowledge. 

spiritual agency, and in presence of numerous witnesses of 
high character. 

Some of the musical demonstrations have been of an ex- 
traordinary character, but are attested by too many and cap- 
able witnesses to be disbelieved. Amongst these are those of 
what are called the " Davenport Boys," and of Koons' Rooms 
in Ohio. The " Davenport Boys," children of a family of that 
name at Buffalo, were declared to be the mediums of a band 
of musical spirits, of whom " King," the spirit of an Indian, 
was the leader. We have accounts of the visits to these boys 
by Mr. Partridge, publisher, New York; Dr. Halleck, Prof. 
Mapes, Mr. Miltenberger and Mr. Taylor. They state that on 
being introduced into the room they found, on a table in the 
centre, a guitar, tambourine, speaking trumpet, bell and ropes. 
At the far end of the room sat the two boy mediums. The 
hands of these boys were securely tied, as well as their feet, 
and they were tied to the wall. The room was made dark, 
and instantly the instruments flew about the room, playing 
over the hearer's heads, and often touching them; King fre- 
quently speaking through the trumpet. On restoring the light, 
the boys were found fast tied as at first. In one instance the 
Cleveland Plaindealer says, the skeptics not only tied the boys 
down to the benches with their hands behind them, but put 
iron handcuffs on them and locked them. The music pro- 
ceeded all the same. Again, the keys which locked the hand- 
cuffs were placed aloft in a box and the spirits were desired to 
reach them and unlock the handcuffs. It was done instantly. 
Mr. Partridge asked the spirits why they did not perform in 
full light; they replied because it would injure the mediums by 
drawing too much force from them. Mr. Partridge, whilst 
listening to the music, found himself suddenly tied hand and 
foot, and with the rope round his neck, in a most intricate 
manner, and as rapidly untied. Mr. Coleman, at p. 443 of the 
Spiritual Magazine (Vol. II.), gives us an account of the visit 
of Professor Mapes to the " Davenport Boys," which accords 
with all the others. Professor Mapes, Mr. Coleman tells us, is 
one of the most powerful intellects of America, a profound 
chemical philosopher who, like Dr. Hare and Judge Edmonds, 



Spiritualism in North America. 327 

grappled with Spiritualism in the hope of exposing an imposi- 
tion ; but was driven, step by step, from his original position 
into complete belief. Like Hare, till forty-five years of age he 
was a materialist. 

Those singular people the Shakers or Shaking Quakers, 
who have eighteen communities in the United States, who 
maintain the primitive order of things, and have all things in 
common, are Spiritualists to a man. They claim their origin 
from John and Jane Wardley, formerly Friends, of Bolton, in 
Lancashire, who joined those of the Camisards or Prophets of 
the Cevennes who came to England. In 1758 they were joined 
by Ann Lee, the daughter of a blacksmith of Manchester, and 
being persecuted by the mob, and Ann, who had become the 
head of the Society and was called Mother Ann, being treated 
as a mad woman and put into an asylum for several weeks, 
they went to America where it was revealed to Ann that they 
should increase and become a people in peace and freedom. 
They arrived in the States in 1774, but were at first very poor 
and compelled to separate to obtain a livelihood. But in 1776 
they founded an establishment near Albany. They afterwards 
founded others at New Lebanon, near Hudson, and at Hancock. 
They claim to have greatly enjoyed the apostolic gifts of heal- 
ing, of prophecy, speaking in unknown tongues, and singing 
new and spiritual songs. They have been led by the spirit, 
they aver, into a deep and holy experience, and they have been 
inspired, not only by the Holy Spirit, but by other spiritual in- 
telligences with whom they have daily and hourly communion. 
In 1856 one of them, named F. W. Evans, wrote to Robert 
Owen informing him " that seven years previous to the advent 
of Spiritualism the Shakers had predicted its rise and progress 
precisely as they have occurred, and adding that the Shaker 
order is the great medium betwixt this world and the world 
of spirits." He continued, " Friend Robert, it appears that you 
are now a Spiritualist. Spiritualism originated amongst the 
Shakers of America. It was also to and amongst them a few 
years ago that the avenues to the spirit-world were first 
opened ; when for seven years in succession a revival continued 



328 Book of Knowledge. 

in operation among that people, during which period hundreds 
of spiritual mediums were developed throughout the eighteen 
societies. In truth all the members in a greater or less degree 
were mediums. So that physical manifestations, visions, 
revelations, prophecies and gifts of various kinds of which 
voluminous records are kept, and indeed, ' divers operations, 
but all of the same spirit,' were as common as gold in Cali- 
fornia." He says that these spiritual manifestations were of 
three distinct degrees. The first being for the complete con- 
vincement of the junior members ; the second for the work of 
judgment, the judging and purifying of the whole people by 
spiritual agency, and the third, for the ministration of millennial 
truths to various nations, kindreds, tribes and people in the 
spirit-world who were hungering and thirsting after righteous- 
ness. And that Spiritualism in its outward progress will go 
through the same three degrees in the United States. Spiritual 
manifestations, he maintained, were God's answer to the hearts' 
cry of earnest men and women seeking facts, not words, in 
attestation of the "Word of Life." 

Mormonism must be set down as one of the disorderly 
phases of American Spiritualism. To those who have read both 
sides on the subject and history of Mormonism there can be 
little doubt that the thing has originated in real spiritual 
agency, but not of the purest kind. The Mormons, one and 
all, claim a miraculous origin for it. They declare that the 
gifts of prophecy, of healing, of seeing visions, are amongst 
them ; and they record abundant instances of curing the most 
violent complaints by the prayers of the church and the laying 
on of hands. Orson Pratt, one of their great oracles, says: 
" We believe that wherever the people enjoy the religion of 
the New Testament, there they enjoy visions, revelations, the 
ministry of angels, etc. And that wherever these blessings 
cease to be enjoyed, there they also cease to enjoy the religion 
of the New Testament." He says, " New revelation is the 
very life and soul of the religion of heaven; it is indispensably 
necessary for the calling of all officers in the church. Without 
it the officers of the church can never be instructed in the vari- 
ous duties of their calling. Where the spirit of revelation does 



Spiritualism in North America. 329 

not exist, the church cannot be comforted and taught in all 
wisdom and knowledge, cannot be properly reproved and 
chastened according to the mind of God, cannot obtain prom- 
ises for themselves, but are dependent upon the promises made 
through the ancients. Without new revelation the people are 
like a blind man groping his way in total darkness, not know- 
ing the dangers that beset his path. Without prophets and 
revelators darkness hangs over the future; no city, people or 
nation understand what awaits them. Without new revelation, 
no people know of the approaching earthquake, or the deadly 
plague, of the terrible war, of the withering famine, and the 
fearful judgments of the Almighty which hang over their de- 
voted heads. When the voices of living prophets and apostles 
are no longer heard in the land there is an end of perfecting 
and edifying the saints; there is a speedy end to the work of 
the ministry; there is an end to the obtaining of that knowl- 
edge so necessary to eternal life ; there is an end to all that is 
great, and grand and glorious pertaining to the religion of 
heaven; there is an end to the very existence of the Church of 
Christ on earth; there is an end to salvation in the celestial 
kingdom." 

Whatever of error and folly there may be in Mormonism, 
this at least is genuine and gospel truth. It is only what John 
Wesley had said before in fewer words : " The real cause why 
the gifts of the Holy Ghost are no longer to be found in the 
Christian Church is because the Christians are turned heathen 
again and have only a dead form left." Their organ, the Mil- 
lennial Star, says, " The Latter-Day Saints know that the angels 
do here converse with men. They know that the gifts of the 
Holy Ghost are manifested in these days by dreams, visions, 
revelating tongues, prophecies, miracles, healings." Orson 
Pratt says, and a tract published by the Latter-Day Church, 
called the " Book of Mormon Confirmed by Miracles," gives 
numerous proofs of the truth of his assertion that " nearly 
every branch of the church has been blessed by miraculous 
signs and gifts of the Holy Ghost, by which they have been 
confirmed and know of a surety that this is the Church of 
Christ. They know that the blind see, the lame walk, the 



330 Book of Knowledge. 

deaf hear, the dumb speak, that lepers are cleansed, that bones 
are set, that the cholera is rebuked, and that the most virulent 
diseases give way through faith in the name of Christ, and the 
power of His gospel." He adds, " that these things are not 
done in a corner; they are taking place every day, and before 
tens of thousands of witnesses." 

Well, there is nothing to be said against this unless we 
could prove it to be utterly false. The doctrine is a true doc- 
trine. Every church except the Protestant church not only 
asserts the same but claims to have ample evidence of it. The 
ancient church, the Roman, the Greek, the Waldenses, the 
Camisards, the early Friends, Luther himself, and many indi- 
viduals even amongst Protestants. Greatrakes was a great 
healer in the apostolic fashion. Madame Saint-Amour, who 
had been educated in Romanism but who became a Sweden- 
borgian, discovered in 1826 that she possessed the same power 
of healing diseases as Gassner and Greatrakes, by the power 
of the Spirit of Christ. She was the wife of Major Saint- 
Amour, and herself of high Dutch connection ; her uncle, Gen- 
eral Drury, being commander at The Hague under the Stadt- 
holdership and under Louis Bonaparte, and her cousin M. Van 
Mann, Minister of Justice in the Netherlands. Madame Saint- 
Amour, however, made no hesitation as to whether she should 
injure her worldly position. She went to Nantes in Septem- 
ber, 1828, and began her benevolent mission. It was soon 
rumored that a lady had arrived from Paris who cured sick- 
ness and chronic ailments by prayer. The whole place was 
thrown into a state of excitement. Some declared that the 
apostolic times were come again; others that these miracles 
originated in some occult art rather than in religion. The 
sick who were cured kindled the enthusiasm of those who yet 
awaited their turn. A cripple, who had left his crutches with 
Madame Saint-Amour, hastened to prostrate himself at the 
shrine of St. Semillian, exclaiming, " She cures everything ! " 
A child, carried to her in his sister's arms, returned home on 
foot followed by a crowd uttering their astonishment at the 
miracle. Passengers were stopped by the wondering crowd 
before Madame Saint-Amour's house; there was much ques- 



Spiritualism in North America. 331 

tioning, and replies were given that struck the hearers with 
amazement. Throngs increased; the street was completely 
blocked so that carriages could not pass. The very steps up 
to her door were crowded with sick and maimed seeking help. 
From six in the morning till night the invalids remained wait- 
ing their turn. Numbers waited all night to be among the 
earliest admitted next morning. Wherever she went, they 
stood in her way as if nailed to the ground ; they were con- 
fident that if they could but touch her dress they could be 
cured. Many even went so far as to declare that she was the 
Virgin Mary herself in disguise. 

M. Richer, the celebrated editor and commentator on 
Swedenborg, went to judge for himself. It is well known that 
the Swedenborgians are violently hostile to any one possessing 
supernatural gifts but Swedenborg himself. They seem to 
think that he had a patent for miracle, and that no one must 
invade it to the end of the world ; but M. Richer was astonished 
at what he saw and honestly confessed it. He heard Madame 
Saint-Amour saying to the crowd of afflicted applicants, " Do 
you believe in God? Do you believe that God, who created 
heaven and earth, has power to heal you ? " And when they 
confessed their belief, she prayed that they might be healed, 
and laid her hands on them. He saw with amaze the wonders 
which ensued ; saw her melted into tears of joy and gratitude 
to God in the midst of the miracles that He wrought by her 
hands ; saw her witness with rapture the change from pain and 
suffering in her patients to ease and strength; saw her cast 
herself on her knees in speechless gratitude to the Giver of all 
Good amid the restored invalids around her. 

For three days the excitement continued to increase. From 
all sides arrived the sick, full of astonishment at the relations 
which they heard. They came from Tours, Saumur, Roche- 
fort, Angers, Rennes, from the Maine and Loire, from Vendee, 
Morbihan and other distant places. It may safely be asserted 
that not a place in the Lower Department of the Loire but 
sent some patient to the capital of the district. The wealthy 
were struggling to get Madame Saint-Amour to lionize her in 
their salons ; and to escape for a while from the incessant 



332 Book of Knowledge. 

crush of eager people around her she accepted invitations to 
distant quarters. But everywhere augmenting crowds poured 
after her, and everywhere in her way you saw sick and curious 
people who prayed the favor of addressing her. It was in vain 
that at night she endeavored to persuade the throngs to dis- 
perse ; they would remain in order to secure her services in the 
morning, and you might see her hands stretched from the 
windows to call down blessings on the immovable crowd. As 
she endeavored to drive along she administered cures from the 
windows of her carriage. The streets and gateways of the 
houses she visited were speedily besieged, and four sentinels at 
every door were not sufficient to keep back the people. Every 
vehicle in the city on hire was taken to carry applicants to her ; 
crowds of workmen abandoned their employments to get a 
sight of her. In every circle she and her cures were the sub- 
ject of conversation; at the exchange, in the college, in the 
salons, in the inns and in private houses ; and it was declared 
that no such things had ever before been heard of except in 
books. 

But all at once it was discovered by the Church that 
Madame Saint-Amour was a heretic Swedenborgian ! The 
priests were instantly in arms; a meeting of the clergy was 
called by the Archbishop, and as the monks of St. Stephen 
had declared to Columbus that there was no such continent as 
America, the clergy of Nantes declared that these miracles 
were not the work of Christ but of witchcraft. The crowds 
were told that if God sent such miracles it would be through a 
priest and not through a woman. The cry of heresy and 
devilry was raised against her, and Madame Saint-Armour was 
speedily compelled to escape from the city and district. 

Madame Ehrenborg, a Swedish lady who has published 
three very interesting volumes of her travels on the continent, 
when at Nantes since these events took place, was shown the 
portrait of Madame Saint-Amour, and was assured by various 
persons of highest character in Nantes that the narrative of 
these extraordinary cures was perfectly correct. Madame 
Saint-Amour is said to have gone to join her son in Algiers. 



Spiritualism in North America. 333 

Amongst the innumerable mediums who have arisen in 
America, besides those trance and lecture mediums already re- 
ferred to, the three most remarkable are Daniel D. Home, 
Andrew Jackson Davis and Thomas L. Harris. All these are 
perfectly distinct in the character of their mediumship, and in 
the field of their spiritual missions. Mr. Home is an exhibitor 
of what are called physical phenomena, but which are spiritual 
agencies acting on matter. Through him raps have been given 
and communications made from deceased friends ; tables have 
been raised into the air, or have moved themselves, as it were, 
from one place to another in the apartment ; his hand has been 
seized by spirit influence and rapid communications written out 
of a surprising character to those to whom they were ad- 
dressed. Spirit hands have appeared which have been seen, 
felt and recognized frequently by persons present or those of 
deceased friends; bells have been lifted up and rung about a 
room; persons in their chairs have been suddenly transported 
from one end of a room to another; he himself has been fre- 
quently lifted up and carried, floating as it were, through a 
room near the ceiling. Numbers of such facts are recorded in 
the British Spiritual Telegraph and the Spiritual Magazine as 
well as in the Cornhill Magazine, with the names and testimonies 
of well-known witnesses. Such manifestations have been made 
in very many of the houses of the leading nobility, cabinet min- 
isters and gentry of England, in the palaces of nearly half the 
principal monarchs of Europe. I myself have been witness 
to many of these phenomena through Mr. Home. The fact 
that the English press has made a great outcry against the 
truth of these statements is no proof that they did not take 
place, but only of the astounding ignorance of the press that 
all history abounds with such facts ; that in all times they have 
been familiar phenomena attested by the most celebrated men; 
and that for the last fifteen years they have been so common 
in America that they have convinced three millions of people. 
In America all these phenomena have displayed themselves in 
far greater force than here. 

Mr. Home's mission seems to have been to go forth and 
do the preliminary work of restoring faith by the performance 



334 Book of Knowledge. 

of these outward marvels. Till that foundation was laid there 
could be no faith in higher or more psychical efforts. He was 
the herald of more interior truths. 

It is not my business here to detail the long and well-sub- 
stantiated series of the supernatural circumstances attending 
Mr. Home's career. They would form a volume of themselves, 
and I hear that it is Mr. Home's intention himself to record 
them. My concern is only to note his place in the history of 
Spiritualism as the herald of a coming restoration of faith in 
the indissoluble union of the natural and supernatural, of dis- 
embodied and embodied spirits which Protestantism in what 
the Rev. John Henry Newman calls its " dreary development " 
has for a time destroyed. Mr. Home has not assumed any 
other character than the foundation layer. He has not pre- 
tended to enunciation of merely spiritual views. He has not 
come forth as the prophet, but only as the seer. And his 
work has not been the less important or the less valuable. 
Without the foundation stone there can be no building. With- 
out faith promulgation of sublime and spiritual truths would 
fall dead upon dead souls. They would be like the rays of the 
sun not falling on the solid and respondent earth, but on the 
barren vacuity. In vain would Jacob's ladder have invited the 
angels who issue from temporary bodies to climb it to heaven 
had not its foot been set upon the earth. Men sunk in their 
spiritual condition to the earth must have manifestations of the 
earth first to awake them. For this reason the much despised 
and ridiculed physical manifestations have come first as the 
only ones adapted to the degraded physical status of men, 
many of them at the same time imagining themselves peculiarly 
enlightened and refined. It was truly said by Abraham to 
Dives that it was useless sending him to his brethren because 
they doubtless were in a condition in which one rising from 
the dead would have been to them no fitting or effective mes- 
sage. A wooden chair dancing, or a money table lifting itself 
up before their sordid eyes would have spoken much more in- 
telligible things. 

The office of Mr. Home has been the first great and neces- 



Spiritualism in North America. 335 

sary office of awakement; as the watchman crying the approach- 
ing hour of the morning of recompleted man he has done much, 
and there remains much yet to do. 

But perhaps nothing connected with Mr. Home has given 
more profound evidence of the truth and tendencies of the con- 
soling and divine effects of Spiritualism than the circumstances 
attending the decease of his most interesting wife. Mrs. Home, 
who was a Russian lady of high family, died at the age of only 
twenty-two. From the moment that it was announced to her 
that her complaint, consumption, was past cure, she exhibited 
no alarm or regret at the prospect of death. She had learned, 
by conviction of the truth of her husband, that death was only 
apparent. She had long been in daily communication with the 
spirits of her departed friends ; and the life about to open before 
her was certain and beautiful beyond conception. Moreover, 
the Greek Church, in which she had been educated, has always 
recognized the Saviour less as the Crucified than as the Arisen, 
the triumphant over suffering and death; and her faith and 
feeling were in glad accordance with it. The Bishop of Peri- 
geux, in France, near which place s'he died, and who admin- 
istered to her the last sacrament, remarked that though he had 
been present at many a death-bed for heaven he had never seen 
one equal to hers. Can the end of any genuine Christian Spirit- 
ualist be otherwise? 

Andrew Jackson Davis was born in 1826, in Blooming 
Grove, Orange County, New York State. He was one of six 
children of a very poor village weaver and cobbler. Both of 
his parents were illiterate, but from his mother he seems to have 
inherited the clairvoyant faculty. He received only five months' 
schooling at the village school, and it was found impossible to 
teach him anything there. Afterwards he was as a boy em- 
ployed successively in a flour-mill, a shop and on a farm. Dur- 
ing his solitary hours in the fields he saw visions and heard 
voices. His parents removed to Poughkeepsie, and he was ap- 
prenticed to a shoemaker. He then became the clairvoyant of 
a mesmeric lecturer and in this situation excited wonder by 
the revelations he made and acquired the name of the Pough- 
keepsie seer. This was in 1843, five years before the Rochester 



336 Book of Knowledge. 

knockings were heard. In this clairvoyant state Davis not only 
declared that the power of seeing into and healing diseases was 
given, but he prescribed for scores who came most successfully, 
stating their symptoms in a manner that surprised the patients 
and equally so several accomplished physicians who attended 
the seances. In his " Harmonia " he has described the wonder- 
ful scenes opened up to him in this condition. His clairvoyance 
was advanced to clairscience. He beheld all the essential 
nature of things; saw the interior of men and animals as per- 
fectly as their exterior, and described them in language so cor- 
rect that the most able technologists could not surpass him. He 
pointed out the proper remedies for all the complaints, and the 
shops where they were to be obtained. The life of all nature 
appeared laid before him; and he saw the metals in the earth 
like living flames, and lights and flames emanating from every 
portion of the living structure of men and animals. The most 
distant regions and their various productions were present be- 
fore him. Everything appeared to him, as to all clairvoyants, 
clothed with its peculiar atmosphere ; not only living forms, but 
every grain of salt or sand, the minutest bones and tendrils, 
mineral and earthy substances had this colored atmosphere. As 
George Fox and Swedenborg before him, he declared that the 
whole of creation was opened to him ; that he saw the names of 
all things in their natures as Adam saw them. He saw how 
every animal represented some one or more qualities of men 
and their vices or virtues, just as Fox and Swedenborg had 
asserted; and he gave even Greek and Latin names to things, 
whilst in his ordinary state he could not even write or speak 
decent English. These facts are attested by eminent physicians 
whose names have been published by themselves. 

In this state he had his vision of " The Magic Staff," as it 
were, a rod of gold which he was told to take, to try and walk 
with, leaning on it and believing on it; and on the staff was 
written his life's motto, " Under all circumstances keep an even 
mind." On this staff, he tells us, he has continued to lean. 

In 1845 ne delivered 157 lectures in New York whilst in 
the clairvoyant state. These went to give a new Philosophy 
of the Universe and were published in a volume called " Nat- 



Spiritualism in North America. 337 

ure's Divine Revelations," amounting to 800 pages. Edgar 
A. Poe and Professor Bush were amongst his wondering 
hearers, and the latter has attested that those parts of the 
lectures which he heard were faithfully transferred to the book. 
Since then Mr. Davis has been a very voluminous writer as his 
" Great Harmonia," in five volumes, " The Philosophy of 
Special Providence," "The Philosophy of Spiritual Intercourse," 
" The Penetralia," " The Present Age and Inner Life," and 
" The Magic Staff " testify. Besides this he edits the Herald 
of Progress. Mr. Coleman's account of him represents him 
as a man of substantial outward as well as inward development. 
" I was," he says, " agreeably surprised to find him bright, 
active and solidly intelligent, with nothing of the dreamy mystic 
about him. His personal appearance is extremely prepossess- 
ing, with a massive and most intellectually formed forehead, 
prominent nose, long black hair and profusely flowing beard. 
He told Mr. Coleman that he spends one-half of his time in his 
garden the other half in his study, and visits his office in the 
city one day in the week, when he sees all sorts of inquirers 
and still prescribes spiritually and gratuitously. 

We find that Mr. Harris, wonderfully attracted by the 
" Divine Revelations of Nature," of Davis, became one of his 
most enthusiastic disciples. But that was not the place where he 
was to stay; the Christian must develop out of the pagan cycle. 
In his early spiritual inspirations Harris became a poetic 
medium and dictated whole epics under the supposed influence 
of Byron, Shelley, Keats, Pollok, etc. Whoever were the 
poetic spirits who infused those poems, they are specimens of 
poetry of the highest order. Speaking of the " Lyric of the 
Golden Age," Mr. Brittan, the publisher, says, and not more 
eulogistically than justly, " This lyric has scarcely less than 
Miltonic grandeur. The descriptive parts are wonderful as 
illustrations of the compass of our language. It would severely 
tax the capabilities of the most gifted mind to coin its phrase- 
ology alone, which, however, is neither strained nor far-fetched, 
but natural, flowing and melodious as a valley brook." 

But the instantaneous manner in which these poems — a 



3^8 Book of Knowledge. 

whole volume of three hundred or four hundred pages at a time 
— were thrown off, is still more amazing than their high merit 
itself. Mr. Brittan tells us that the " Lyrics of the Golden 
Age " (381 pages) was dictated by Harris and written down by 
Mr. Brittan in ninety-four hours. In a similar manner was 
produced the " Lyric of the Morning Land," and other volumes. 
In the production of poetry we know no similar achievements. 
But the progress of Harris into an inspirational oratory is still 
more surprising. He claims, by opening up his interior being, 
to receive influx of divine intuition in such abundance and power 
as to throw off under its influence the most astonishing strains 
of eloquence. This receptive and communicative power he at- 
tributes to an internal spiritual breathing corresponding to the 
outer natural breathing. As the bodily lungs imbibe and respire 
air, so, he contends, the spiritual lungs inspire and respire the 
divine aura, refluent with the highest thought and purest senti- 
ment, and that without any labor or trial of brain. Swedenborg 
teaches the same mystery, and Catholics also of devotional tem- 
perament. 

Gorres, in his " Christliche Mystik," asserts that this " vital 
breathing, however, descends into the human being through the 
crown of the head, and reissues by that, and is in intimate con- 
nection with the rays and circlets of light seen on the heads of 
saints." (Vol. II, p. 330, " Inere Begrundung der Lichter- 
scheinungen.") Whatever be the process, those who heard Mr. 
Harris during his visit to this country in i860 had abundant 
proofs of the magnificent results. His extempore sermons 
were the only perfect realizations of my conceptions of elo- 
quence; at once full, unforced, outgushing, unstinted and ab- 
sorbing. They were triumphant embodiments of sublime 
poetry and a stern, unsparing, yet loving and burning theology. 
Never since the days of Fox were the disguises of modern 
society so unflinchingly rent away, and the awful distance be- 
twixt real Christianity and its present counterfeit made so 
startlingly apparent. That the preacher was also the prophet 
was most clearly proclaimed by his suddenly hastening home, 
declaring that it was revealed to him that " the nethermost hells 
were let loose in America." This was before the public breach 



Spiritualism in North America. 339 

between North and South had taken place ; but it soon followed, 
only too deeply to demonstrate the truth of the spiritual in- 
timation. 

In these three typal mediums have been designated the three 
stages of Spiritualism : the patriarchal or preparatory, the 
pagan and the Christian. In the general character of American 
Spiritualism has been displayed, in equally unmistakable feat- 
ures, the previous social and spiritual condition of that country. 
Those who thought that a dispensation from the invisible world 
should be all of a divine nature have been horrified to perceive 
that it partook largely of an opposite nature, the demoniac. 
That was an expectation out of nature itself, contrary to the 
world's history, in which the evil has ever come in hot haste on 
the heels of the good. Never, in any age of the world, did 
demon activity abound so much as at the Christian advent. It 
is a trite truism that where God pours out his Spirit most abun- 
dantly, it is next abundantly met by the blasts of hell. American 
Spiritualism, therefore, though it has shown divine features and 
produced deep and serious Christian effects, bringing back large 
numbers from atheism and deism to Christianity, has also 
largely shown features of a lower and more repulsive kind. And 
this must have inevitably have resulted from the condition of 
the churches there previous to this avatura, as described by 
both American and European travellers. The curse of slavery 
had entered into the deepest vitals of the moral life of the 
country, North as well as South. 

In such a state of society, of moral cowardice and glaring 
hypocrisy, the spirits of evil were certain to seize on these rotten 
parts and revel in them. Hence, on the outburst of Spiritualism, 
such members, sunk in the lowest depths of spiritual corrup- 
tion, were instantly possessed by spirits of like tone. Hence, 
in the ranks of Spiritualism and spirit mediums there appeared 
such persons who stood forth mere atheists, deists, pagans, of 
no creed but infidelity. Like attracts like; and the spirits of 
their stamp claimed kindred with those, enveloped them, and 
taught them the doctrines of the hells, or of the dubious and 
intermediate regions. As the Shaker W. F. Evans said, " These 
are brought to judgment, for their inner life was made manifest 



340 Book of Knowledge. 

by the spirits who claimed them and indoctrinated them. This 
was inevitable ; for they who hoped that all teaching from the 
invisible world would be true were as ignorant of the real con- 
dition of the spirit-world as they who, seeing evil, denounced oil 
as evil. As the whole of this history has shown, the good and 
the evil issue equally from the spirit-world, and all must make 
their election. As in Christianity, so in Spiritualism, the battle 
of heaven and hell is forever going on. Woe to those who ally 
themselves to the one ! Well for those who, by prayer and 
faith, seek the support and teaching of the other, that is, of the 
Holy Spirit and its ministering angels." 



OPPOSITION TO NEW FACTS. 

The Creator of man, He who knows all the springs and 
motions of the human heart, when He was in Christ on the 
earth, said to His messengers of His great new truths, " Behold 
I send you forth as lambs amongst wolves." (Luke X :3.) This 
is His announcement of the inevitable consequences of the mis- 
sion of truth to the end of the world. Persecution is the eternal 
heritage of truth. There is a deadly enmity to truth in the spirit 
of the world which no knowledge, no experience, no infinitely 
repeated folly will ever cure. The world hates new truths as 
the owl and the thief hate the sun. Mere intellectual enlighten- 
ment cannot recognize the spiritual. As the sun puts out a fire 
so spirit puts out the eyes of mere intellect. 

The history of this hatred of truth is the same in the pagan 
and the Christian world. Socrates, Pythagoras and many 
others fell under it. But it is most strikingly demonstrated in 
the history of Christ and His church. The Jews, the educated 
classes of that time, who had studied the prophets and carried 
the institutions of Moses to the utmost perfection, still wanting 
the spiritual vision, when Christ came covered with all the signs 
of prophetic history, could not see Him. But what it did to 
Christ and His apostles it had done long before. It ridiculed 
Noah's building the ark for a hundred years, till the flood came 
and swept all the sneerers away. It made the life of Moses for 



Spiritualism in North America. 341 

forty years a torment, and after a thousand miracles in the 
wilderness. It caused the pagans to roast, boil and hew in 
pieces the early Christians. 

Nor was it less operative among the early Christians them- 
selves. They ridiculed the discoveries of science as the scien- 
tific ridiculed their Christianity. In his twenty-fourth chapter, 
" De Antipodibus, de Caelo ac Sideribus," Lactantius laughs at 
the notion of there being such things as antipodes, thereby 
showing that the theory of the rotundity of the earth and of 
antipodes was held, as we know it was, by Macrobius, Pliny 
the Younger, Cleomenes and others. Lactantius is quite merry 
at the idea of "homines quorum vestigia sint superiora quam 
capita," whose heels are higher than their heads. Is it possible, 
he asks, for trees and fruits to grow downwards? Rains and 
snow and hail to fall upwards to the earth? For fields and seas 
and cities and mountains to hang upside down? The reason, 
he says, by which they came to such absurd ideas was that they 
saw the sun and moon always setting in one place, and always 
rising in another, and not knowing the machinery by which they 
were conveyed when out of sight, they thought the heavens 
must be round, and therefore the earth must be round, too. 
Nay, according to him, they had actually made an orrery. 

Thus the earth was, according to these philosophers (some 
of them of the first century of the Christian era, probably 
earlier still) round, and the planets were represented the same 
and as circling round it. Then followed what Lactantius re- 
garded as a very monstrous notion. . . " That is, if the 
earth were round, it would follow of necessity that it would 
everywhere present the same face to the heavens; it would 
elevate its mountains, extend its plains, diffuse its seas. And if 
this should be, then this extreme condition would follow too, 
that there would be no part of the earth which might not be in- 
habited by men and other animals. And thus the rotundity of 
the earth is actually made to introduce pendulous antipodes ! " 

But if you ask, says our learned Christian Father — and he 
was a very learned man of his age, and did able battle with the 
heathen and their mythologies — how all these things are pre- 
vented flying off from the round earth and dropping into the 



342 Book of Knowledge. 

lower regions of space, they tell you that it is a law of nature 
that the most ponderable substances tend to the centre, and 
are united to the centre as you see the spokes in a flying wheel ; 
whilst the lighter substances, as clouds, smoke and fire, are 
carried from the centre and mount towards the heavens. . . 

Lactantius cannot, he says, account for the people continu- 
ing to defend such absurdities, except that, once taking up 
wrong premises, they are sure to go on maintaining them; 
though he thinks the philosophers are sometimes knowingly 
quizzing, and only do it to show their ingenuity and astonish the 
people. When the learned laugh at Lactantius, let them reflect 
for a moment that Spiritualism may be just as true now as that 
the world was round, and that there were antipodes in his time. 

The same spirit pursued through all the Middle Ages the 
children of the light by its grand institution, the Inquisition, 
furnished with every species of machinery for crushing, burn- 
ing, racking and tearing out the truth. It fought desperately 
against the Reformation, and poured all its fury on Huss, 
Jerome of Prague, the Lollards, Waldenses, Huguenots, on 
Fox, on Wesley, on every religious reformer. It stood in the 
path of even physical progress and laughed. It is the fool and 
the Alguazil of every age, even to physical progress. We all 
know the stories of Galileo, of Harvey, and Jenner; they are 
worn threadbare in holding them up as warnings. It put Solo- 
mon de Caus in the Bicetre as a madman for asserting the 
power of steam. The Edinburgh Review called on the public 
to put Thomas Gray into a strait-jacket because he affirmed that 
there ought to be railroads. Gall says that such was his treat- 
ment for introducing phrenology that he cauld not have lived 
through it had he not been supported by one man who knew the 
value of science, and that the learned even did not restrain 
their premature jokes and squibs till they had made some re- 
search. 

A writer in the Homoeopathic Review says, " In the sixteenth 
century the French Parliament solemnly interdicted the use 
of antimony as a medicine; and the Faculty of Paris not only 
forbade the employment of all chemical remedies but would not 
allow them even to be mentioned in theses and examinations. 



Spiritualism in North America. 343 

In the same century the discovery of the valves in veins by 
Amatus Lusitanus was denied and ridiculed by the chief anat- 
omists of the day; whilst Harvey's farther discoveries were 
treated as madness. In the seventeenth century the medical 
profession was roused to fury by the introduction of Peruvian 
bark. This remedy was not brought in through the portals of 
the college ; and the new discovery, to use the words of Boni- 
land, had to be " baptized in tribulation." The physicians of 
Oliver Cromwell allowed him to die of ague rather than admin- 
ister the hated specific. In the same century the president of 
the College of Physicians committed Dr. Groenvelt for daring 
to prescribe cantharides internally. 

In the eighteenth century Jenner was ridiculed, lampooned 
and excluded from the honors and privileges of the College of 
Physicians because he advocated vaccination. In the nine- 
teenth the discovery of Laennec was, for a time, scouted by the 
medical authorities. " I have not," one professor sneeringly 
remarked, " a sufficiently fine ear to hear the grass grow," and 
at a medical banquet a sort of dinner of the Medical Association 
of the day, it was proposed to test the qualities of the wines by 
percussing the bottles. If we pass from medicine to general 
science, how the volume teems with stories of blind opposition 
to everything involving a change of opinion ! 

The writer then cites the case of Galileo, so well known, and 
of Columbus, ridiculed and rebuffed by the learned men of 
Genoa, Portugal and Spain, and then, having proved the truth 
of his theory of another continent, dying broken-hearted amid 
the hatred and envy of those who feared conviction. Of Frank- 
lin, bravely erecting his lightning conductor amid the jeers of 
his fellow citizens, and not only so, but amid those of the Royal 
Society of London. Dr. Ashburner in the " Spiritual Mag- 
azine," has called attention to the following fact in " Lardner's 
Manual of Electricity," in the " Cabinet Library," i ; 47. " When 
these and other papers, proposing that an iron rod should be 
raised to a great height in the air to convey electricity from the 
clouds to the earth, by Franklin, illustrating similar views, were 
sent to London and read before the Royal Society, they are 
said to have been considered so wild and absurd that they were 



344 Book of Knowledge. 

received with laughter, and were not considered worthy of so 
much notice as to be admitted into the " Philosophical Trans- 
actions." Dr. Fothergill, who appreciated their value, would 
not permit them to be thus stifled. He wrote a preface to them 
and published them in London. They subsequently went through 
five editions! 

The writer then cites the case of Perdonnet, the engineer, 
earning the character of a madman by predicting in a lecture 
at the Ecole Centrale the success of railways. He adds, 
" Then have we not some pleasant stories of the French acad- 
emicians — the Sir Benajmin Brodies of the day — the creme de 
la creme of philosophers? In 1805 Napoleon the First applied 
to the Academy to know if concentrated steam, according to 
Fulton's process, could propel a vessel. The question was 
answered by a burst of laughter, and the emperor was extremely 
mortified for having showed his ignorance. The same body of 
philosophers rejected the proposition to light by gas as an im- 
possibility ; and years afterwards Arago was received with bursts 
of contemptuous laughter when he wanted to speak of an elec- 
tric telegraph, his learned compeers declaring the idea to be 
perfectly Utopian. To these instances he might have added the 
ridicule and persecution of Hahnemann for the discovery of the 
odyle force. 

It is a curiosity of science that Benjamin Franklin, who had 
himself experienced the ridicule of his countrymen for his at- 
tempts to identify lightning and electricity, should have been 
one of the committee of savans in Paris in 1778 who examined 
the claims of mesmerism and condemned it as absolute quack- 
ery ! This opinion was seconded by another commission which 
commenced its sittings in February, 1826, and continued its 
labors for five years. The report of the commission, however, 
recommended that physicians only should be allowed to practice 
mesmerism, forgetting that it was unmedical men who had 
forced the science on the medical men. Mr. Rich shrewdly ob- 
serves that as soon as the church recognizes mesmerism, and we 
believe Spiritualism too, it will then consider it very proper that 
only clergymen should practice them. 

The Scottish Review in an able article some years ago, re- 



Spiritualism in North America. 345 

minded its readers that the establishment of the Royal Society 
was opposed because it was asserted that " experimental phil- 
osophy was subversive of the Christian faith." The elder Dis- 
raeli shows that telescopes and microscopes were at first de- 
nounced as " atheistic innovations which perverted our organ 
of sight and made everything appear in a false light." In the 
outcry against Jenner, the Anti- Vaccination Society, in 1806, 
execrated vaccination as a horrible tyranny " for forcing disease 
on the innocent babes of the poor — a gross violation of religion, 
law, morality and humanity." It was declared by learned men 
that it would make children " ox-faced," that there were already 
symptoms of sprouting horns on children, and that they would 
have the visages of cows and the bellowing of bulls ! It was 
declared a diabolical invention of Satan, a tempting of Provi- 
dence, and was practical sorcery and atheism. 

When machines were invented for winnowing corn, a dread- 
ful outcry was raised in Scotland, that it was an impious attempt 
to supersede God's winds and raise a devil's wind. One Scotch 
clergyman refused the holy communion to all who used this 
" devil's " machine. The readers of " Old Mortality " will re- 
member the indignation of honest Mause Headrigg at her son 
Cuddie having to " work in a barn wi' a new-fangled machile 
for dighting the corn frae the chaff, thus impiously," said the 
alarmed Mause, " thwarting the will of Divine Providence by 
raising wind for your ladyship's ain particular use by human art 
instead of soliciting it by prayer, or waiting patiently whatever 
dispensation of wind Providence was pleased to send upon the 
sheiling hills." 

When a route was discovered across the Isthmus of Panama, 
a priest named Acosta, in 1588, declared that, too, a resistance 
of Divine Providence and his finite barriers which could only be 
followed by plagues and curses. When forks were introduced 
into England they were denounced by the preachers, who de- 
clared it " an insult on Providence not to touch our meat with 
our fingers." The abolition of slavery was treated in the same 
manner by many religious people as an impious attempt to put 
aside the curse on Ham and his posterity; and like arguments 
are still used against the attempts to convert the Jews, a people, 



346 Book of Knowledge. 

it is said, rejected for their rebellion and crucifixion of Christ. 

There is a large class of persons at the present day who 
may, with much profit, digest this list of facts. After reading 
it no one will feel himself obliged to add his name to the cata- 
logue of bigoted obstructives. 



CHAPTER XIL 

GEORGE FOX AND THE FRIENDS. 

" They call themselves by the pleasant name of Friends ; the 
pious called them the Children of the Light ; the baser sort, quak- 
ing at the light, called them Quakers." 

Gerard Groese. 

" There exist folios on the human understanding and the 
nature of man, which would have a far juster claim to their 
high rank and celebrity, if, in the whole huge volume, there could 
be found as much fulness of heart and intellect as bursts forth 
in many a simple page of George Fox." 

Coleridge's " Biographia Literaria." 

" This man, the first of the Quakers and by trade a shoemaker, 
as one of them whom under ruder form, the Divine idea of the 
universe is pleased to manifest itself; and across all the hulls of 
ignorance and earthly degradation, shine forth in unspeakable 
awfulness, unspeakable beauty on their souls; who, therefore, 
are rightly recounted prophets, God possessed." 

Thomas Carlyle. 

Henry VIII, who established the Reformation in England, 
died in 1 546 ; George Fox, the first of the Society of Friends was 
born in 1624, and in 1646, exactly a hundred years after the death 
of the royal reformer, as he was walking towards Coventry, was 
struck with a sudden wonder how all were said to be Christians, 
both Protestants and Papists, and that it was said that all the 
true Christians must have been born again, and thus passed from 
death to life, a fact which he found it hard to believe of very 
many of his contemporaries. In fact the more honest George 
pondered on this subject the more was his amazement; for surely 



348 Book of Knowledge. 

from all the accounts that we have of the condition of genuine 
Christianity there was very little of it at that time. Protestantism 
patronized, if not introduced, by royalty into England, had under 
State pressure assumed a very odd shape. Checked and driven 
and thwarted by kingly and queenly caprices it had become a 
very hybrid and stunted thing. It had abjured voluntarily many 
of the gifts of the Church of Christ, as those of curing by laying 
on of hands, prophesying and working miracles, thus having 
lopped off a number of its own limbs; and. this circumstance, 
cooperating with the royal tinkering of the faith, had done won- 
ders in introducing a strange death-in-life sort of religion. Hav- 
ing abandoned all faith in the supernatural, very few people 
believed in the action of the Holy Spirit upon the spirit of man. 
Nothing brought so much ridicule on the Friends as their assertion 
that they were moved by the Spirit. It became a common mode 
of scoffing at them to say that " the Spirit moves them." Nay, 
it is still thought rather witty to say that " the Spirit moves them." 
As for being born again, in George Fox's day it was ridiculed 
by bishops and clergy as the height of absurdity. To be a Chris- 
tian was to go to Church, to adjourn thence to the ale-house and 
to drink and swear lustily; and to be a heretic was to go to a 
Dissenting Chapel, dubbed by law a " conventicle," and to be 
fined twenty pounds for it. Such was the condition to which 
legal and regal Protestantism had reduced this country in a 
hundred years. 

We need not take the evidence of George Fox and the Friends 
solely on this point. Richard Baxter was Fox's contemporary 
and a clergyman of the legal Church too. In Orme's life of the 
venerable Richard it is stated that " before or about the time that 
Richard was born, 161 5, an important change took place in his 
father. This was affected chiefly by the reading of the Scriptures ; 
for he had not the benefit of Christian association or the public 
preaching of the Gospel. Indeed the latter privilege could 
scarcely be enjoyed in that county — Shropshire. There was 
little preaching of any kind and that little was calculated to injure 
rather than to benefit. In High Ercall, his place of residence, 
there were four readers in the course of six years, all of them 
ignorant, and two of them immoral men. At Eaton- Constantine, 



George Fox and the Friends. 349 

also a place of his abode and hereditary property, there was a 
reader of eighty years of age, Sir William Rogers, who never 
preached, yet had two livings twenty miles apart from each other. 
His sight failing, he repeated the prayers without book, but to 
read the lessons he employed a common laborer one year, a tailor 
another ; and at last his own son, the best stage player and game- 
ster in all the county, got orders and supplied one of his places. 
Within a few more miles round were nearly a dozen more min- 
isters of the same description; poor, ignorant readers and most 
of them of dissolute lives. Three or four who were of a different 
character, though all conformists, were the objects of popular 
derision and hatred as Puritans. Where such was the character 
of the priests we need not wonder that the people were profligate 
and despisers of those who were good. The greater part of the 
Lord's Day was spent by the inhabitants of the village in dancing 
round a May-pole, near Mr. Baxter's door, to the no small dis- 
tress and disturbance of the family" (p. 2, " Baxter's Life," by 
the Rev. William Orme.) 

George Fox was born at Drayton, in Leicestershire, in July, 
1624. His parents were of the Church of England; his father 
a weaver and George himself was put apprentice to a shoemaker 
who dealt in wool and cattle. George does not seem to have had 
much to do with the shoemaking ; he took most delight in attend- 
ing to the sheep and to farming operations. He was early visited 
by religious convictions, and sought enlightenment from the 
clergy around him. It was not likely, however, that such min- 
isters as Baxter has described could do him much good. He fell 
into great distress of mind and walked many nights by himself 
in great spiritual troubles and sorrow. The clergyman of his 
parish, one Nathaniel Stevens, so far from communicating spir- 
itual light, drew from George and used to make his sermons 
out of what he heard from him in conversation. George, there- 
fore, went to an ancient priest at Mansetter, in Warwickshire, and 
endeavored to learn from him the causes of his despair and 
temptations ; but this " ancient priest " had no better counsel for 
him than " to take tobacco and sing psalms." But George sig- 
nified that he was no lover of tobacco, and as for psalms he was 



350 Book of Knowledge. 

not in a state to sing. Then the priest bade him come again and 
then he would tell him many things. But when George came the 
priest was angry and pettish for George's former words had 
displeased him; and he was so indiscreet that what George had 
told him of his sorrows and griefs he told again to his servants, 
so that it got amongst the milk lasses, and grieved him to have 
opened his mind to such a one ; and he saw they were all miserable 
comforters. Then he heard of a priest living about Tamworth, 
who was accounted an experienced man and therefore he went 
to him, but found him like an empty hollow cask. . . After 
this, he went to one Macham, a priest of high account; and he, 
no more skilful than the others, was for giving George some 
physic and for bleeding him. But they could not get one drop 
of blood from him, either in the arms or the head, his body 
being as it were, dried up with sorrows, grief and trouble, which 
were so great upon him that he could have wished never to have 
been born, to behold the vanity and wickedness of men; or that 
he had been born blind and so he might never have seen it; 
and deaf that he might never have heard vain and wicked words 
or the Lord's name blasphemed." (Sewel's "History of Chris- 
tian People in derision called Quakers," Vol. I. pp. 8-12.) 

Fortunately for George Fox he was driven from seeking spir- 
itual aid from all such " empty casks," to the true means, his 
Bible and earnest solitary prayer for Divine illumination. He 
retired into the fields and spent whole days and nights reading 
and praying in a hollow tree. Here he found what is divinely 
promised, that to those who knock it shall be opened ; that those 
who seek spiritual teaching from the Divine Spirit itself shall 
find it. His darkness, his doubts, his despair, gradually cleared 
away ; and he came to see the truth developed to his understand- 
ing, pure and free from all school glosses. Never since the orig- 
inal proclamation of the gospel to the simple fishermen of Galilee, 
had its noble reality been so completely manifested. It came to 
him unclouded, unimpeded by any preconceived or preinculcated 
notions or conventionalism. There were in his hollow oak, no 
" royal reasons " to warp God's truth, no college logic to cramp it ; 
pure and unadulterated it issued from the Divine mind as the 
waters of Siloa's fount, which " flowed fast by the oracle of God." 



George Fox and the Friends. 351 

It came forth in all its august but simple greatness, and Fox, 
a soul of the most honest and intrepid mould, embraced it with 
that love and faith which are ready, not only to die for it, but to 
suffer all contempt and wrong for it whilst living. Lord 
Macaulay, in his " History of England," has treated Fox as a 
fanatic ignoramus and little better than an idiot. It was the only 
judgment to which such a man as Macaulay could come. Fox 
must be an idiot to a man like Macaulay and Macaulay must have 
been an idiot to him. Macaulay was essentially an outward, 
worldly-minded man, a man given up to Whiggism, and standing 
well with the world; and verily he had his reward. Fox was 
the exact antipode of such a man. Fox was no fool ; on the con- 
trary, he was a man though destitute of much human education, 
possessed of a masculine understanding, of a power of reason 
against which the florid rhetoric of Macaulay would have stood 
no more chance than did the ablest sophisms of the ablest men 
of the time ; judges, officers, clergy, statesmen, of Cromwell him- 
self, as may be seen by his history. Macaulay, with his mere 
worldism, could no more understand a man of the intellectual 
calibre of Fox than a monkey's subtlety can comprehend the mas- 
sive sagacity of an elephant. The one was all superficial ex- 
pedience, the other all eternal truth; the one having no root in 
the eternal soil of principle, the other all heart and principle; 
the one worshipping at the shrine of popularity and personal 
advantage, the other worshipping only the eternally true, the 
eternally holy, and despising every temporary profit or glory 
which could interpose itself in his life and death struggle towards 
it. Such men must remain longer than suns and systems remain ; 
while truths are truths, and selfisms are selfisms, idiots, incontro- 
vertible idiots to each other ; with this difference, that Fox could 
have seen through and through Macaulay at a glance, whilst 
Macaulay could never fathom the profound greatness of Fox. 
The religion of Fox became, like that of the first apostles, a relig- 
ion in which spiritual truth went for everything, mundane consid- 
erations, mundane reservations, mundane balancing of advantage, 
for nothing. With him all was for God and the insurmountable 
truth ; all for man and his eternity, without any temptation from 
man as a favor-bestowing or praise-bestowing creature of a day. 



352 Book of Knowledge. 

The mountain standing in the vastness and the solidities of nature 
knows nothing of the sheep which grazes it, or the butterfly 
which sports over its herbage; and they cannot comprehend the 
solid and age-enduring mountain. When they can understand 
each other, then Foxes and Macaulays will understand each other 
and not till then. 

Fox was developed into the highest phase of Spiritualism, 
that of direct communion with the Divine mind, by the same 
means as the apostles and saints in all ages have been developed 
and baptized into it, by opening their souls in solitude and prayer 
to the eternal Soul in a sublime, unflinching integrity. In this 
silent and perfect dedication to its infiltrations, in a heroic submis- 
sion to its meltings and mouldings, he found all the outward 
husks of human theories, the outward shadow of self-indulgence, 
self-weakness, self-cravings and self-wisdom drop away, and a 
pure, calm, resplendant wisdom and strength rise up in clear 
vision, and make him a free man of the universe, triumphant over 
pride, passion and temporal desire in the power and unity of God. 

He had now rapidly to unlearn what he had learned in estab- 
lished teachings of the age. " As he was walking in a field, on 
a First-Day morning, it was discovered unto his understanding, 
that to be bred at Oxford or Cambridge was not enough to make 
a man a minister of Christ. At this he wondered because it was 
the common belief of the people ; but for all that he took this to 
be a Divine revelation and he admired the goodness of the Lord, 
believing now the ordinary ministers not to be such as they pre- 
tended to be. This made him unwilling to go any more to church, 
as it was called, to hear the priest Stevens, believing that he 
could not profit thereby; and therefore instead of going thither, 
he would get into the orchard or the fields by himself, with his 
Bible, which he esteemed above all books, seeking thus to be 
edified in solitariness. At this his relations were much troubled ; 
but he asked them whether John, the apostle, did not say to the 
believers, that " they needed no man to teach them, but as the 
anointing teacheth them." And though they knew this to be 
Scripture and that it was true, yet it grieved them, because he 
would not go to hear the priest with them but separated himself 
from their way of worship; for he now saw that a true believer 



George Fox and the Friends. 353 

was another thing than they looked upon it to be ; and that being 
bred at the universities did not qualify a man to be a minister 
of Christ. Thus he lived by himself, not joining with any, nay, 
not of the dissenting people, but became a stranger to all, relying 
wholly upon the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Fox, in fact, found himself, like Abraham, called to go forth 
from his father's house and his kindred, from all old teachings, as- 
sociations and notions; for he was appointed one of those who 
have to revitalize the Church and bring it back to its original faith 
and power. He had to go forth with the Bible in his hand and 
the fire of God in his soul to bring men back from set forms 
and dead rituals to the simple religion of the Bible; and it is 
the Bible, in such hands, which has continually to fight with mere 
human formalities and dead shells of profession. It is this which 
has produced all the changes and reforms that have appeared in 
the Christian Church yet. It overthrew Paganism, it split asunder 
Popery, it ruined Monkery in this country, it destroyed it in 
Spain. The Catholics were deeper in worldly wisdom than the 
Church of England ; they knew it to be an enemy and they treated 
it as an enemy; they kept it down and out of sight as long as 
they could. Henry VIII and Elizabeth were wiser in this respect 
than their successors. Henry passed an Act in 1539 called the 
" Bloody Statute," in which he decreed that " no women, artifi- 
cers, apprentices, journeymen, husbandmen, or laborers, should 
read the New Testament on pain of death " ; and Elizabeth was 
equally averse to it. She did not wish the people to read at all 
lest it should make them less submissive. She disliked even 
preachings, lest the mischievous principles of Christianity should 
steal abroad through it; three or four preachers in a county she 
declared quite sufficient. Such was the policy of the Catholic 
Church and of the cunning founders of the English Church ; but 
now the Bible had been allowed to walk abroad over the whole 
land ; the peasant had learned to feel himself a man and the man 
an immortal creature — the child of God — the heir of precious 
rights and deathless hopes ; a being too good to be trodden on by 
priestly pride, or robbed by priestly pretenses. It was because 
the peasants of Scotland had, in every mountain glen and lowland 
hut, listened to the animating topics and precious promises of 



354 Book of Knowledge. 

the "big ha' Bible," that they had risen and resisted the bloody 
emissaries of the Church. And now throughout England, in city 
and hamlet, in field and forest, the great charter of man was 
studied and was ready in the hands of " the man in leather " to 
cast down everything that was opposed to freedom of spirit and 
independence of purpose. 

Amongst these inquiring spirits, or seekers as they were called, 
George Fox went forth in 1647, directing his first course into 
Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. " During all this time he 
never joined in profession of religion with any but gave himself 
up to the disposal of the Lord; having forsaken not only all 
evil company, but also taken leave of father and mother and all 
other relations ; and so he travelled up and down as a stranger on 
the earth, which way he felt his heart inclined, and when he came 
into a town he took a chamber to himself there and tarried some- 
times a month, sometimes more, sometimes less, in a place, lest, 
being a tender young man, he should be hurt by too familiar a 
conversation with men." (Sewel, Vol. I, p. 15.) 

As he had forsaken the priests of the establishment, so he 
left the separate teachers too, because he saw there was none 
amongst them all that could speak to his condition. And when 
all his hopes in them and in all men were gone, then he heard, 
according to what he relates himself, a voice which said, " There 
is one, even Jesus Christ, that can speak to thy condition." Hav- 
ing heard this his heart leapt for joy and it was shown him why 
there was none upon the earth that could speak to his condition, 
namely, that he might give the Lord all the glory. 

He was now in a continual progress of spiritual teaching by 
inward revelation. He learned experimentally that Christ is the 
light that truly enlighteneth any man that cometh into the world ; 
and this became so fundamental a doctrine of his that the people 
who gathered about him were at first called " The Children of 
the Light." Yet he was a diligent reader of the Scriptures, that 
speak at large of God and Christ, though he knew him not but 
by revelation, as he who had the key did open. George was in 
the highest state of mediumship and of Spiritualism, namely, in 
direct communication with the Spirit of God; and his followers 
cultivated this highest condition and laid down their whole sys- 



George Fox and the Friends. 355 

tern upon it, paying little attention to the secondary condition 
of ministrations through angels, which has been the more par- 
ticular dispensation of this more material age. Yet we shall see 
that he and his friends showed themselves distinguishes of 
dreams, casters out of evil spirits, healers in the name of Christ, 
and predicters of events, etc. They possessed many of the gifts 
of the true Church, though they desired above all to walk in the 
immediate power of the Divine Spirit, and to call all men to this 
communion as the source of all Christian teaching and edification. 
So much was this the case that they were accused of not believ- 
ing in the outward Christ, who died at Jerusalem, because they 
taught that the outward death of Christ there and then would 
avail little without the inward life and perpetually quickening 
and reforming power of His Spirit. This absurd calumny has 
even been reiterated in our time as it was by honest but misin- 
formed Richard Baxter. The Rev. Robert Philip, in his lives 
of Whitefield and Bunyan, and Dr. Wardlaw, of Glasgow, have 
repeated the calumny, scarcely allowing Friends to be Christians 
on that account, the simple truth of the matter being, that whilst 
they fully believed and proclaimed their belief in the outward 
Christ, they were the first to draw attention to the great doctrine 
of his indwelling and regenerating life in the soul, then treated 
as a myth, but now from the Quakers readmitted to general cre- 
dence. In the Articles and Homilies of the Church of England, 
indeed, this doctrine existed, but at that day it had ceased to 
exist in the credence of the clergy and was continually ridiculed 
by them when asserted by Friends. 

With the people whom Fox came amongst were some 
who believed much in dreams ; but he taught them to make a 
very necessary distinction betwixt one kind of dreams and 
another. He told them there were three sorts of dreams. Mul- 
tiplication of business produced dreams ; there were whisperings 
of Satan in the night seasons, and there were also speakings 
of God to man in dreams — facts amply confirmed by modern 
Spiritualism. Amongst his continued spiritual openings he had 
several precisely of the kind made since to Swedenborg. " In 
Nottinghamshire it pleased the Lord to show him that the 
natures of those things that were hurtful without were also 



356 Book of Knowledge. 

within in the minds of wicked men ; and that the natures of dogs, 
swine, vipers, and those of Cain, Ishmael, Esau, Pharoah, etc., 
were in the hearts of many people. But since this did grieve 
him he cried to the Lord, saying, " Why should I be thus, seeing 
I was never addicted to commit these evils ? " And inwardly it 
was answered him, " That it was needful he should have a sense 
of all conditions; how else should he speak to all conditions?" 
He also saw that there was an ocean of darkness and death, 
but withal an infinite ocean of light and love, which flowed over 
the ocean of darkness in all which he perceived the infinite love 
of God. (Sewel, Vol. I, p. 18.) 

Again he says, " I saw into that which was without end, 
and things which cannot be uttered; and of the greatness and 
infiniteness of the love of God, which cannot be expressed by 
words ; and I have been brought to the very ocean of darkness 
and death; and the same eternal power of God which brought 
me through those things was that which afterwards shook the 
nation, priests, professors and people. . . And I saw the 
harvest white, and the seed of God lying thick on the ground 
as ever did wheat which was sown outwardly, and none to 
gather it, and for this I mourned with tears." 

The shaking which came through Fox, of priests, people, 
officers, magistrates and learned men was a great revolution 
little understood at the present day. Of late there has been 
much talk of Quakerism dying out, and sundry books have been 
written to show the causes of it ; but those who supposed such a 
thing little knew what Quakerism was or is. It is not a religion 
of caps and coats, but of the great principles of the New Testa- 
ment, which at that day lay trodden under foot. Fox went on 
under a process of revelation till he saw the whole mighty 
scheme of the gospel in its grandeur and fulness. He came to 
despise all mere outer forms, and to grasp the inward and eter- 
nal principles of Christian truth — THE TRUTH — as he em- 
phatically termed it. This consisted in the doctrine that Christ 
is the Word, the Light and the Comforter which enlightens 
every man that cometh into the world and leadeth into all truth. 
That by opening our hearts to this divine and ever-present 
Teacher we have all truth in " the two great books of God, the 



George Fox and the Friends. 357 

Bible and Nature," opened up to us. That in Christ we are 
born again new creatures and trained up into perfect men in 
Christ Jesus. Like Wesley, since he believed in the possibility 
of the attainment of perfection in this life, and in the perception 
of acceptance with God, he came to protest against all State 
establishments of religion — that Christ's religion is free and 
self-sustaining. That it is utterly opposed to all despotism in 
creed, or in politics ; to usurpation of the personal liberties of 
man ; to all giving and receiving of titles of worldly honor and 
flattery. He refused, on this account, to pay what he called 
hat-homage, by taking off 'his hat to people, and to use " you " 
to a single person. All these things, he asserted, sprang from 
pride and an inordinate self-love and vanity ; and how truly this 
was the case was seen by the resentment and the persecution 
which the refusal of them occasioned. He rejected baptism by 
water and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper as non-essential 
forms, the baptism of the Spirit being the true and essential 
baptism ; and that if we commemorated the Last Supper, though 
only recommended to Christ's own immediate disciples, we 
ought also to wash one another's feet as a ceremony more 
strictly enjoined. He taught that tithes were anti-Christian, 
both tithes and those to whom they were given being terminated 
with the tribe of Levi. He showed the impropriety of calling 
that a church which was only the meeting place of the Church, 
and generally styled those steeple-houses. Never was there 
such a stripping away of the old rotten bark of ecclesiasticism, 
so thorough a return to the naked truth of the gospel. Such a 
system was sure to bring down a tremendous tempest of perse- 
cution, and the whole history of the Society of Friends down 
to the Act of Toleration by William III is a history of as fright- 
ful and ruthless persecutions as ever fell on any Christian body 
from any Church calling itself Christian. The history of these 
awful " sufferings " fill a huge folio volume. The Five Mile 
Act, the Conventicle Act, and the Oath of Allegiance and Su- 
premacy were made the means of fleecing the Friends by whole- 
sale. Fox and his disciples could not take any oath at all, see- 
ing that Christ had most explicitly said, " Swear not at all," 
and therefore this oath was made a continual snare to them. 



358 Book of Knowledge. 

Fox had soon vast numbers of serious inquirers of all ranks 
flocking to him, and as they declared that the gospel ought to 
be preached freely — " freely ye have received, freely give " — the 
clergy saw that, if this succeeded, their craft was gone forever. 
Therefore clergy, and magistracy, and soldiery came down on 
these modern apostles " who turned the world upside down," 
and they were plundered and thrown into prison by thousands. 
Fox and nearly all his eminent followers passed many years in 
prisons — such dens of filth, inclemency and wickedness as now 
strike us in the description with amazement. Two thousand five 
hundred Friends were in prison at one time, and three hundred 
and sixty-nine died there ! In Bristol, at one time, every adult 
Quaker was in prison for his faith; and the children still met, 
in spite of the beatings and insults of their persecutors, who 
struck them in the face, as they were accustomed to do the 
women, whom it was a favorite plan to drag by the hair, pinch 
their arms till black and blue, and prick them with bodkins and 
packing needles. When this would not do they banished them 
to the colonies and sugar plantations, and sold them for slaves, 
where their doctrines soon spread, and persecution became as 
hot as at home, especially in New England, where the famous 
Pilgrim Fathers exceeded all others in monstrous fines, flog- 
ging of women from town to town, cutting off ears, and hang- 
ing! These people, who had fled from England on the plea of 
escaping persecution for religion there, turned the most savage 
of persecutors, showing that their boasted love of religious 
freedom was but selfishness. 

All this time at home (that is, for thirty years), the Friends 
were stripped of their property by means of the before-named 
enactments, the informers receiving one-third of the spoil. 
They were charged ten pounds apiece for attending a Friends' 
meeting, and twenty pounds a-piece if they opened their mouths 
to defend themselves on the pretense that they preached ! Their 
meeting-houses were pulled down — those in London, by Sir 
Christopher Wren ! Their very beds were dragged from under 
them, and one woman's body was torn from a grave! From 
1655 to the end of this persecution half a million of money, or 
money's worth, was wrenched from them. One clergyman 



George Fox and the Friends. 359 

said he would rather see all the Quakers hanged than lose a 
sixpence by them. The informers lived jovially on them. They 
entered freely into their houses, kept the keys of their doors in 
their pockets, and declared that they would eat of the best, and 
drink of the sweetest, and these rogues of Quakers should pay 
for all. When they complained to Archbishop Sancroft of these 
villains he coolly replied, " There requires crooked timber to 
build a ship ! " 

These are singular features of the state of the national 
church and its universities in George Fox's time, and of what 
people suffered for spirituality then. We Spiritualists of to-day 
walk in silken slippers and are let off with a harmless sneer or 
two. Having shown what Fox and the Friends endured for 
Spiritualism, we may again revert to a few more traits of its 
peculiar character. 

The power evinced during some meetings was such that the 
house seemed to be shaken, and on one occasion a clergyman 
ran out of the church lest it should fall on his head. This was 
at Ulverstone, but the thing was of frequent occurrence. In 
1648 George Fox had " an opening," such as Swedenborg re- 
cords of himself. "The creation was opened to me; and it 
showed to me how all things had their names given them, ac- 
cording to their nature and virtue. And I was at a stand in 
my mind whether I should practise physic for the good of man- 
kind, seeing the nature and virtues of the creatures were so 
opened to me by the Lord." He says that the Lord showed 
him that such as were faithful to Him would be brought into 
the state in which Adam was before the fall, when the natures 
of all things were, by the divine unity, known to man ; and that 
so they would come to know the hidden unity in the Eternal 
Being. He was shown that the professors of physic, divinity 
and law were all destitute of the true knowledge and wisdom 
necessary for these professions ; and that nothing but this divine 
illumination could bring them into it. It was shown him, how- 
ever, that his labor was not to be physical but spiritual. It was 
at this time that he felt a certain assurance of his acceptance 
with God. 

At Mansfield Woodhouse he found the gospel gift of com- 



360 Book of Knowledge. 

mand over disordered spirits manifested in him. There was a 
distracted woman under a doctor's hands, being bound, and 
with her hair loose. The doctor was trying to bleed her, but 
could get no blood from her. Fox desired that she might be 
unbound, and he then commanded her in the name of the Lord 
to be still; and this had such effect that she became still; her 
mind settled, she grew well, and became a convert to his doc- 
trine and remained perfectly sane till her death. Soon after he 
restored a person who was ill by prayer. " There being in that 
town a great man who had long lain sick, and was given over 
by the physicians, he went to visit him in his chamber ; and hav- 
ing spoken some words to him, he was moved to pray by the 
bedside, and the Lord was entreated, so that the sick man was 
restored." A still more remarkable case is recorded by him in 
his " Journal." " After some time I went to a meeting at Arn- 
side, where Richard Myer was, who had long been lame of one 
of his arms. I was moved of the Lord to say unto him, 
amongst all the people, " Stand upon thy legs," and he stood 
up, and stretched out his arm that had been lame a long time, 
and said, " Be it known unto you, all people, that this day I am 
healed." Yet his parents would hardly believe it ; but, after the 
meeting was done they had him aside, took off his doublet, and 
then saw it was true. He came soon after to Swarthmore meet- 
ing, and there declared how the Lord had healed him." 

These cures by spirit power Fox regarded but as incidental 
objects of his mission; but we should have been glad to have 
had this particular record of others; for such there were, and 
numerous ones, according to his account. " Many great and 
wonderful things were wrought by the heavenly power in those 
days; for the Lord laid bare his omnipotent arm, and mani- 
fested His power to the astonishment of many, by the healing 
virtue whereof many have been delivered from great infirmities, 
and the devils are made subject to his name, of which particular 
instances might be given beyond what this unbelieving age is 
able to receive or bear." Still we have a considerable number 
of instances of the healing power of God exerted in the early 
history of the Friends. At Ulverstone, Sawtrey, the justice of 
the peace, set the people upon George Fox, who beat him so 



George Fox and tJte Friends. 361 

terribly with cudgels that he fell senseless on the common to 
which they had dragged him; but, recovering again, and being 
strengthened by immediate power, he stood up, and stretching 
out his arms, said with a loud voice, " Strike again ; here are 
my arms, my head and my cheeks." Then a mason gave him 
such a heavy blow over the back of his hand with his rule that 
it was much bruised, and his arm so benumbed that he could not 
draw it to him again, so that some of the people cried out, 
" He has spoiled his hand forever." But he, being preserved 
by the love of God, stood still, and after a while felt such ex- 
traordinary strengthening power that he instantly recovered the 
vigor of his hand and arm (Sewel, I, jj). 

In the ferocious treatment which the early Friends received 
they were often wounded so desperately that, to all ordinary 
ideas, they never could recover; but they bear continual testi- 
mony to a supernatural healing,. Miles Halhead, one of their 
preachers, " was so beaten and abused at Skipton that he was 
laid for dead; nevertheless, by the Lord's power he was healed 
of all his bruises ; and within three hours he was healthy and 
sound again to the astonishment of those who had so abused 
him, and to the convincing of many " (Ibid., p. 91). Soon after 
the same undaunted soldier of Christ was attacked by a mob at 
Doncaster which was again urged on by the priest; was once 
more knocked down and beaten, as was supposed, to death. In 
the evening, however, he entered a chapel, and, sorely bruised 
as he was, he preached, and at the conclusion of his discourse 
" the Lord made him sound of all his bruises " (p. 93). William 
Dewsbury, another eminent Quaker minister, was set upon at 
Coldbeck and was nearly killed by the mob ; but " was healed 
in the same astonishing manner " (p. 96). Barbara Blaugdone, 
a most courageous female minister, was so cruelly flogged at 
Exeter for preaching that the blood flowed all down her 
back; but she only sang during the operation so that the en- 
raged beadle laid on with all his might to make her cry out, 
but in vain ; for, says the historian, " she was strengthened by 
an uncommon and more than human power." She afterwards 
declared that her feeling was above all suffering. 

Another evidence of the existence of Christian Spiritualism 



362 Book of Knowledge. 

among the early Friends was their power of seeing into the 
internal state of people, and often of foreseeing, through this, 
calamities about to befall them. Barbara Blaugdone, already 
mentioned, having a " concern," that is, an impression, in her 
mind to speak to the Lord-deputy of Ireland regarding the per- 
secution of the Friends, an attempt was made to impose upon 
her. As she knew neither the person of the deputy nor those 
of the chief people about him when she was brought into the 
drawing-room, a person presented himself as the deputy. She 
stood silently, and the room being full of people, they asked her 
why she did not do her message to their lord. She answered, 
" When I see your lord, then I shall do my message to him." 
Her internal monitor assured her that this was not the deputy. 
Soon after he came in and sat down, and she immediately ad- 
dressed him on the subject of her concern. 

George Fox, going to Hampton Court to speak with the 
Protector Cromwell regarding the persecutions of the Friends, 
met him riding in Hampton Court Park and before he came to 
him he said he perceived a waft of death to go forth from him, 
and coming to him, he looked like a dead man. Having spoken 
to Cromwell of the persecutions of the Friends, he desired him 
to come to Hampton Court the next day; but on going there, 
he found him too ill to be seen, and in a day or two he died — 
September 3, 1658. 

Innumerable instances of this clairvoyance might be given, 
but I shall only add that the celebrated Robert Barclay, author 
of the " Apology," in a letter to Heer Adrian Paets, the Dutch 
Ambassador to Spain in 1676, amongst other features of Quaker- 
ism, gives some striking explanations of this internal sense. 
" This divine and supernatural operation in the mind of man is 
a true and most glorious miracle which, when it is perceived by 
the inner and supernatural sense, divinely raised up in the mind 
of man, doth so evidently and clearly persuade the understand- 
ing to assent to the thing revealed that there is no need of an 
outward miracle." He adds that the voice of God in the soul 
is as convincing as the truth of God's being, from whom it pro- 
ceeds (Sewel, II, 252). " It is no less absurd to require of 
God, who is a most pure Spirit, to manifest His will to men by 



George Fox and the Friends. 363 

the outward senses, than to require us to see sounds and to 
hear light and colors. For as the objects of the outward senses 
are not to be confounded, but every object is to have its proper 
sense, so must one judge of inward and spiritual objects which 
have their proper sense whereby they are perceived. And tell 
me, how doth God manifest His will concerning matters of 
fact, when He sends His angels to men, since angels have no 
outward senses, or, at least, not so gross ones as ours are? 
Yea, when men die and appear before the tribunal of God, 
whether unto eternal life or death, how can they know this, 
having laid down their bodies and therewith their outward 
senses ? Nevertheless, the truth of God is a truth of fact, as is 
the historical truth of Christ's birth in the flesh." (Ibid, p. 253.) 
From all this Barclay contended that the soul had its own 
senses, as distinct from the outward senses as the natural senses 
are distinguished from each other by their specific difference, 
and that it is through these senses that God, a spirit, directly 
addresses the human soul. 

Robert Barclay had a prognostic of the murder of Arch- 
bishop Sharpe. It is thus recorded by his son, Robert Barclay, 
of Urie : " On the third day of May, as he was travelling home 
from Edinburgh in his coach, Archbishop Sharpe was mur- 
dered; it being very remarkable that, some days before the 
murder, Robert Barclay, being upon a journey to the yearly 
meetings at Edinburgh, in company with his wife's sister, and 
they being on horseback, at the East Ferry, as they passed by 
the kirk which belonged to the archbishop, close to the end of 
the town, they heard a most terrifying howling noise which was 
astonishing. Upon which, they sent the servant to look into 
the church through the windows, who could then perceive noth- 
ing, but no sooner returned to them than the noise began again, 
and continued till they rode out of hearing. This account both 
he and his sister gave immediately after, and she in my hearing 
repeated the same, but a few years ago, to a company visiting 
her at her own house in Newcastle, consisting of Quakers and 
others. This I mention as a fact without any other reflection." 

The early Friends declare in many places that they heard 
internal voices as clear and distinct as outward voices. The 



364 Book of Knowledge, 

wife of Miles Halhead, who had been greatly opposed to his 
leaving his home so much to travel in the ministry, at length 
wrote to him, " Truly, husband, I have something to tell thee. 
One night, being in bed mourning and lamenting with tears in 
my eyes, I heard a voice saying, " Why art thou so discontented 
concerning thy husband ? I have called and chosen him to my 
work, and my right hand shall uphold him." It went on to 
say, that, if she became content, it would bless her and her 
children for her husband's sake ; if not, it would bring a great 
cross upon her. This alarmed her, but did not cure her, and 
her only son was soon after taken from her by death. Then 
she saw the cross menaced, and submitted to God's will." (Ibid. 
I, 92.) Marmaduke Stevenson, one of the Friends hanged by 
the Pilgrim Fathers, says he heard a distinct voice saying, " I 
have ordained thee a prophet to the nations." Catherine Evans, 
who, with her companion, Sarah Cheevers, was thrown into the 
Inquisition at Malta, heard a voice saying, " Ye shall not die ! " 
and on that voice they calmly relied, and, after many sufferings 
and threatenings, came out safe. When some English ships 
arrived, and endeavors were made for their liberation, the voice 
distinctly said they could not go yet; and then, spite of all 
efforts at that time, it proved so. 

Visions were as frequent amongst them as voices. George 
Fox says that, going up to the top of Pendle Hill, in Yorkshire, 
" the Lord opened to him and let him see a great people to be 
gathered in those parts, and especially about Wensleydale and 
Sedberg. He saw them in white raiment coming along a river 
side to serve the Lord." 

Catherine Evans, already mentioned, whilst in the Inquisi- 
tion at Malta, and threatened with being burnt alive with her 
companion, and being kept in suspense for several days on this 
subject, saw " in a dream a large room, and a great wood fire 
in the chimney; and she beheld one sitting in the chair by the 
fire in the form of a servant, whom she took to be the Eternal 
Son of God. Likewise she saw a very amiable, well-favored 
man-child sitting in a hollow chair over the fire, not appearing 
to be above three-quarters of a year old, and having no clothes 
on but a little fine linen about the upper parts, and the fire 



George Fox and the Friends. 365 

flamed above it, yet the child played and was merry ; she would 
then have taken it up for fear it should have been burnt, but He 
that sat in the chair bade her let it alone. Then turning about, 
she saw an angel, and he that sat in the chair bade her take up 
the child, which she did, and found it had no harm ; and then 
awakening, she told her dream to Sarah, and desired her not 
to fear, since the heavenly host thus followed them." (Sewel, I, 
406.) 

Daniel Baker, a minister who went to Malta to obtain the 
release of these ladies, had a mountain shown to him in a dream 
where he had to deliver a testimony ; on coming to Gibraltar he 
saw that this was the very mountain, and, though the captain 
of the vessel would not consent to his going on shore, the ships 
were detained there wind-bound till he was allowed to go and 
deliver his message, and on the next day a fair wind sprang 
up and the fleet set sail. 

When the Turks were making great progress against 
Austria, George Fox saw a vision of the Turk turned back, and 
told his friends that this would be the case ; and in a few months, 
contrary to general expectation, it took place. James Nayler, 
warned by what befell him, cautioned Friends to try their 
visions, etc., by the inward test of the Divine Spirit. " If there 
appear to thee voices, visions, and revelations, feed not thereon, 
but abide in the light and feel the body of Christ, and therewith 
thou shalt receive faith and power to judge of every appearance 
and spirits, the good to hold fast and obey, and the false to 
resist." Sound advice, and that of St. John. 

Another gift of the Church, the spirit of prophesy, was liber- 
ally conferred on Fox and the Friends. At Gainsborough a 
man having uttered a very false accusation against Fox he 
called him a Judas, and announced that Judas' end would be 
his. The fellow soon after hanged himself, and a stake was 
driven into his grave. At Swarthmore he announced to Saw- 
trey, the persecuting magistrate, that God had shortened his 
days, and that he could not escape his doom. The man drowned 
himself. A similar doom he announced to another persecutor, 
Colonel Needham, whose son desired him to cut him off, and 
who sent him prisoner to Cromwell. Needham was hanged as 



366 Book of Knowledge. 

one of the judges of Charles I. Thomas Aldam, a minister 
among Friends who had in vain protested against the persecu- 
tions under Cromwell, took off his cap, tore it to pieces in his 
presence, and told him so should the government be rent from 
him and his house. George Bishop, a minister, in a letter dated 
September 25, 1664, to the king and two houses of Parliament, 
distinctly predicted the plague of London, which broke out in 
December of the same year, and swept away one hundred thou- 
sand people. As it is short and decided, we may as well quote 
it entire : " To the King and both Houses of Parliament, thus 
saith the Lord : ' Meddle not with my people because of their 
conscience to me, and banish them not out of the nation because 
of their conscience; for if ye do, I will send my plagues upon 
you, and ye shall know that I am the Lord ! ' Written in 
obedience to the Lord by his servant, George Bishop; Bristol, 
the twenty-fifth of the ninth month, 1664." 

George Fox predicted the desolation of London some years 
before the fire took place; but two of his disciples again pre- 
dicted it more distinctly still. Thomas Briggs went through 
Cheapside and other streets, preaching repentance to the in- 
habitants, and declaring, like Jonah at Nineveh, that unless 
they repented London should be destroyed. 

The system of the Friends was entirely so spiritual a system, 
that they could not make a single religious movement without 
spiritual guidance. It compelled them to refrain from all out- 
ward manufacture of ministers; God alone could make and 
qualify such. They were compelled to refrain from all forms, 
formulas, rituals and ceremonies. They could only sit down 
together, and receive the ministrations of the Divine Spirit. As 
that Spirit is promised to all who sincerely seek it, there could 
be no exceptions from its operations and endowments. As God 
is no respecter of persons, so there could be no difference of 
ranks and titles in the Church except such as He individually 
put on His members. The Friends could neither pray nor 
preach without immediate influence from the Spirit of Christ. 
However much the Society has since changed, however much 
it has since lost, however much it has cooled in its zeal and con- 
formed to the spirit of the world ; however much the growth of 



George Fox and the Friends. 367 

wealth has corrupted it, it has never abandoned its faith in the 
purely spiritual nature of its jurisdiction. Those who of late 
have seen it relaxing certain strictnesses, abandoning certain 
forms of costume, opening itself up to more liberal views of art 
and science, and social life, and have imagined that the day of 
Quakerism was drawing to a close were never more mistaken. 
Quakerism, being simply and solely primitive Christianity, can 
never die out. As it never could be circumscribed within the 
bounds of a sect — George Fox never wished it to be so — so the 
sect of Quakers may perish, but its principles must eternally 
remain. Those proclaimed by Fox and his Friends have now 
gone out from them into all bodies of the Christian world. The 
doctrine of the immediate influence of the Spirit of God, of the 
anti-Christianity of war, of slavery, of the pride of life, of the 
emptiness and deadness of all mere ecclesiastical forms; the 
doctrines of the true baptism being the baptism of the Spirit, 
the true Lord's Supper the daily feeding on the bread of life, 
which, like the manna in the wilderness, is spread every day 
before every soul. These doctrines have gone forth, or are 
going forth from the Society of Fox, never to return till they 
reach the ends of all the earth. 

Never did a Christian body hold so firmly to their standard 
of truth against the scorn and the scornings of the world. Firm 
in their faith, no terrors, not those of death, could daunt them 
for a moment. When all other sects complied, they stood im- 
movable, even to the smallest iota of conscientious conviction ; 
and they were the first to wring from the government the rights 
of marrying and burying, and exemptions from oaths, with other 
privileges. They gave to Christian testimony a more manly 
stamp. The very name of Quaker became the highest of 
burlesques; for they never quaked at whatever man or tyrant 
could inflict upon them. They who nicknamed them so were, 
in fact, the Quakers. 

This high and entirely spiritual nature of Quakerism has 
exhibited itself in every period of its existence down to this 
hour. I could bring a whole volume of instances of the acting 
of the Friends under immediate spiritual guidance. William 
Penn, in founding Pennsylvania, showed his practical reliance 



368 Book of Knowledge. 

on the doctrines of the New Testament. When all other 
settlers declared the American Indians not to be trusted; when 
Cotton Mather, a minister of the Pilgrim Fathers, declared 
them to be the children of the devil, and that, if he had a pen 
made of a porcupine's quill and dipped in aquafortis, he could 
not describe all their devilishness ; when they were hunted down 
by so-called Christians with bloodhounds, and exterminated 
with fire and sword, Penn went to them unarmed, in Christian 
kindness, and made that just treaty with them which Voltaire 
says was the only treaty ever made without an oath, and the 
only one never broken. I must, however, refer the reader to 
the lives and works of Friends of all periods for plenty of spirit- 
ual manifestations. Instances of the ministers, in their preach- 
ing, having particular states suddenly communicated to them, 
and their preventing suicides and other crimes, are frequent. 
Extraordinary providences, and rescues from imminent peril 
are of common record amongst Friends. John Roberts, of Cir- 
encester, used to be consulted by his neighbors on the loss of 
cattle, etc.; and after a short silence he would invariably tell 
them where to find them. See also the lives of John Woolman, 
Davis Sands, of Stephen Grellet, a minister whom I knew, and 
whose memoirs have been recently published ; of Elizabeth Fry, 
or, indeed, the life of almost any one of the ministers and emi- 
nent men amongst them at all times. As no denomination of 
Christians has ever recurred so fully and firmly to the primitive 
practice and condition of the Christian Church, so none has re- 
ceived more brilliant and convincing proofs that the gospel in 
which they trusted is no cunningly devised fable. The prom- 
ises, by Christ, of supernatural powers to his Church, have been 
believed and fully demonstrated amongst the Friends. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE WESLEYS, WHITEFIELD AND FLETCHER OF 

MADELEY. 

" All cannot fail to be reminded of the necessity of a farther 
outpouring of the Spirit of God." 

The Bishop of London, 1859. 
" My serious belief amounts to this — that preternatural im- 
pressions are sometimes communicated to us for wise purposes, 
and that departed spirits are sometimes permitted to manifest 
themselves." 

South ey's Colloquies. 

" And what is strangest upon this strange head 
Is, that, whatever bar the reason rears 
'Gainst such belief, there's something stranger still 
In its behalf, let those deny who will." 

Lord Byron. 

The rapidity with which vital religion dies out, under a 
political machinery for perpetuating it, is most strikingly mani- 
fested in our own history since the Reformation. We have seen 
what was its condition a hundred years after Henry VIII. , not- 
withstanding the hammerings and contrivings of those royal 
church masons and carpenters, the Tudors and the Stuarts. Fox 
and his friends, Baxter and Bunyan, revived its life for a while ; 
but the religious temperature fell fast again till the time of 
Wesley and Whitefield; and what it was then, Watson, in his 
admirable criticism on Southey's " Life of Wesley," tells us. 
It had not only fallen from itself but had pulled down the dis- 
senting vis vitce with it. " The body of the clergy," he says, 
" neither knew nor cared about systems of any kind ; in a vast 



370 Book of Knowledge. 

number of instances they were immoral, often grossly so. The 
populace in large towns were ignorant and profligate; the in- 
habitants of villages added to ignorance and profligacy, brutish 
and barbarous manners. A more striking instance of the rapid 
deterioration of religious light and influence in a country scarcely 
occurs, than in ours from the Restoration till the rise of Method- 
ism. It affected not only the Church but the dissenting sects in 
no ordinary degree. The Presbyterians had commenced their 
course through Arianism down to Socinianism; and those who 
held the doctrines of Calvin had, in too many instances, by a 
course of hot-house planting, luxuriated them into the fatal and 
disgusting errors of Antinomianism. There were exceptions; 
but this was the general state of religion and morals in the coun- 
try when the Wesleys, Whitefield and a few kindred spirits went 
forth to sacrifice ease, reputation, and even life itself if necessary, 
to produce a reformation." (p. 129.) 

Every successive attempt to break up this religious torpor, 
to renew Christian life in the public, has been violently opposed 
by the Established Church. We have seen how it treated Fox 
and his Friends, how it treated Baxter and Bunyan; we have 
now to see how it greeted the spiritual life-breathing of Wesley, 
Whitefield, and their contemporaries in the eighteenth century. 
That such men should be met by scorn, misrepresentation, and 
persecution, is the direct proof of the great need of their appear- 
ance. To say that a man is a religious reformer is to say that he 
is a Spiritualist. Nothing but a "new outpouring of the Divine 
Spirit " can awake life in the dry bones of defunct profession, in 
the freezing masses of materialism and worldly debasement. 
Wesley, Whitefield and their fellow-apostles, produced a wonder- 
ful change in the religious character of their age, and have left 
lasting and beneficent traces of their labors in the public mind. 
They aroused even the stagnant Church which abused and re- 
jected them. A new and commendable activity has ever since 
been visible in the establishment. It has exercised a greater moral 
control over its clergy and has entered into a zealous competition 
with Dissenters for the education of the people; but again, this 
very activity had degenerated into a morbid condition, having 
no claims to a genuine spiritualistic character. It is running 



The Wesley s, White field and Fletcher of Madeley. 371 

wildly into two extremes; the one of forms and rituals, tending 
to the outward; the other of infidel rationalism. Between these 
we look in vain for the ancient spirit of the gospel, which claims 
boldly the heritage of apostolic powers; and works in that over- 
shadowing of the Holy Ghost which made the mighty preachers 
of all times and can alone cause the waters of eternal life to 
gush from the cold rocks of our daily calculating world. The 
formalism and the learnedness of the mere letter that killeth, 
which are the great features of our time, must perish in some 
new " outpouring of the Spirit," or Christianity must perish al- 
together. This hybrid state is, from the very laws of nature, a 
barren state and tends to death. But the plan of Providence 
cannot be impeded by the selfishness and grossness of men and 
their institutions; new and unlooked-for outbreaks of the invis- 
ible strength of the ages will take place; and, amid the clouds 
and hissing winds that accompany them, herald new spiritual 
springs. Let us encourage our faith by reviving the circum- 
stances of the despised but triumphant advent of Methodism. 

John Wesley was cradled in the very abode of the super- 
natural; haunting spirits surrounded his childhoods' pillow and 
walked beside him in his school-boy rounds. The extraordinary 
events which took place in the parsonage of his father at Ep- 
worth, in Lincolnshire, and which were attested not only by Mr. 
Wesley and Mrs. Wesley, but by every member of the family 
which was present at the time, have acquired a world-wide 
notoriety; and it were as easy to deny the existence of the 
Wesley family itself as to deny these manifestations. No case of 
spiritual disturbance was ever thoroughly proved and that by 
such a number of persons of education and of freedom from su- 
perstition. We have the written accounts in narratives and 
letters of Mr. Wesley himself, the father of John Wesley, and 
incumbent of Ep worth, who kept a regular diary of the occur- 
rences ; of Mrs. Wesley in four letters to her sons, who were at 
the time at school at Westminster and the Charterhouse ; in letters 
from six of the Miss Wesleys to their brothers. We have the 
written account of the Rev. Mr. Hoole, the vicar of Haxey, an 
adjoining parish, who was called in by Mr. Wesley to hear the 
noises; and the account of Robin Brown, the man-servant, in a 



372 Book of Knowledge. 

letter to John Wesley. All these evidences will be found at 
length in the notes of the first volume of Southey's " Life of 
Wesley." I shall therefore content myself with copying John 
Wesley's narrative of these disturbances, based on these docu- 
ments and on personal inquiries on the spot. This narrative was 
published by him in the Armenian Magazine. 

"When I was very young I heard several letters read, wrote 
to my elder brother by my father, giving an account of strange 
disturbances which were in his house at Epworth, in Lincoln- 
shire. 

" When I went down thither in the year 1720, I carefully in- 
quired into the particulars. I spoke to each of the persons who 
were then in the house, and I took down what each could testify 
of his or her own knowledge ; the sum of which was this : 

" On December 2, 1716, while Robert Brown, my father's 
servant, was sitting with one of the maids, a little before ten at 
night, in the dining-room, which opened into the garden, they 
both heard a knocking at the door. Robert rose and opened it 
but could see nobody. Quickly it knocked again and groaned. 
* It is for Mr. Turpine,' said Robert, * he has the stone and used 
to groan so.' He opened the door again, twice or thrice repeated. 
But still seeing nothing and being a little startled they rose and 
went up to bed. When Robert came to the top of the garret 
stairs he saw a hand-mill, which was at a little distance, whirled 
about very swiftly. When he related this, he said, ' Nought vexed 
me but that it was empty. I thought, if it had been full of malt, 
he might have ground his heart out for me.' When he was in 
bed he said he heard, as it were, a gobbling of a turkey-cock close 
to his bedside; and soon after the sound of one tumbling over 
his boots and shoes ; but there were none there ; he had left them 
below. The next day he and the maid related these things to 
the other maid who laughed heartily, and said, ' What a couple 
of fools you are ! I defy the thing to frighten me.' After churn- 
ing in the evening she put the butter in the tray and had no 
sooner carried it into the dairy than she heard a knocking on the 
shelf where several pancheons of milk stood, first above the shelf 
then below. She took the candle and searched both above and 
below ; but being able to find nothing threw down butter, tray and 



The Wesleys, White field and Fletcher of Madeley. 373 

all and ran away for life. The next evening between five and six 
o'clock, my sister Molly, then about twenty years of age, sitting 
in the dining-room reading, heard as if it were the door that 
led into the hall open and a person walking in that seemed to have 
on a silk night-gown rustling and trailing along. It seemed to 
walk round her then to the door then round again ; but she could 
see nothing. She thought, ' It signifies nothing to run away ; 
for whatever it is it can run faster than I.' So she rose put her 
book under her arm and walked slowly away. After supper she 
was sitting with my sister Sukey, about a year older than her- 
self, in one of the chambers and telling her what had happened; 
she made quite light of it ; telling her, ' I wonder you are so easily 
frightened : I would fain see what would frighten me.' Presently 
a knocking began under the table ; she took the candle and looked 
but could see nothing. Then the iron casement began to clatter 
and the lid of a warming-pan. Next the latch of a door moved 
up and down without ceasing. She started up, leaped into bed 
without undressing, pulled the bed-clothes over her head, and 
never ventured to look up till morning. A night or two after, 
my sister Kitty, a year younger than my sister Molly, was waiting 
as usual, between nine and ten, to take away my father's candle 
when she heard some one coming down the garret stairs, walk- 
ing slowly by her, then going down the best stairs, then up the 
back stairs and up the garret stairs; and at every step it seemed 
the house shook from top to bottom. Just then my father 
knocked; she went in, took his candle, and got to bed as fast as 
possible. In the morning she told this to my eldest sister who 
told her, ' You know I believe nothing of these things ; pray let 
me take away the candle to-night and I will find out the trick/ 
She accordingly took my sister Kitty's place and had no sooner 
taken away the candle than she heard a noise below. She has- 
tened down stairs to the hall where the noise was, but it was then 
in the kitchen, where it was drumming on the inside of the 
screen. When she went round it was drumming on the outside 
and so always on the side opposite to her. Then she heard a 
knocking at the back kitchen door; she ran to it, unlocked it 
softly, and when the knocking was repeated, suddenly opened it 
but nothing was to be seen. As soon as she had shut it the knock- 



374 Book of Knowledge: 

ing began again; she opened it again but could see nothing. 
When she went to shut the door it was violently thrust against 
her; she let it fly open but nothing appeared. She went to shut 
it and it was thrust against her; but she set her knee and her 
shoulder to the door, forced it to, and turned the key. Then the 
knocking began again but she let it go on and went to bed. 
However, from that time, she was thoroughly convinced that there 
was no imposture in the affair. 

" The next morning, my sister telling my mother what had 
happened, she said, ' If I hear anything myself I shall know how 
to judge/ Soon after, she (Emily) begged her to come into the 
nursery. She did, and heard in the corner of the room, as it 
were, the violent rocking of a cradle ; but no cradle had been there 
for some years. She was convinced it was preternatural and 
earnestly prayed it might not disturb her in her own chamber at 
the hours of retirement and it never did. She now thought it 
was proper to tell my father; but he was extremely angry and 
said, ' Sukey, I am ashamed of you ; these boys and girls frighten 
one another but you are a woman of sense and should know 
better. Let me hear of it no more.' At six in the evening he had 
family prayers as usual. When he began the prayers for the 
king a knocking began all around the room and a thundering 
knock attended the Amen. The same was heard from this time 
every morning and evening while the prayer for the king was 
repeated. As both my father and mother are now at rest, and 
incapable of being pained thereby, I think it my duty to furnish 
the serious reader with a key to this circumstance. 

" The year before King William died my father observed my 
mother did not say Amen to the prayer for the king. She said 
she could not for she did not believe the Prince of Orange was 
king. He vowed he would never live with her till she did. He 
then took his horse and rode away, nor did she hear anything of 
him for a twelvemonth. He then came back and lived with her 
as before, but I fear his vow was not forgotten before God. 

" Being informed that Mr. Hoole, the vicar of Haxey, an 
eminently pious and sensible man, could give me some further 
information I walked over to him. He said, ' Robert Brown came 
over to me and told me your father desired my company. When 



The Wesleys, White-field and Fletcher oj Madeley 375 

I came he gave me an account of all which had happened partic- 
ularly the knocking during family prayers. But that evening, to 
my great satisfaction, we had no knocking at all. But between 
nine and ten a servant came in and said ' Old Jeffery is coming ' — 
that was the name of one that died in the house — - for I hear the 
signal.' This, they informed me, was heard every night about a 
quarter before ten. It was towards the top of the house on the 
outside, at the northeast corner, resembling the loud creaking 
of a saw, or rather, that of a windmill when the body of it is 
turned about in order to shift the sails to the wind. We then 
heard a knocking over our heads, and Mr. Wesley catching up a 
candle, said, ' Come, sir, now you shall hear for yourself.' We 
went up stairs ; he with much hope, and I, to say the truth, with 
much fear. When we came into the nursery it was knocking in 
the next room; when we were there it was knocking in the 
nursery. And there it continued to knock, though we came in, 
particularly at the head of the bed, which was of wood, in which 
Miss Hetty and two of her younger sisters lay. Mr. Wesley, 
observing that they were much affected, though asleep, sweating 
and trembling exceedingly, was very angry, and, pulling out a 
pistol, was going to fire at the place from whence the sound came. 
But I caught him by the arm and said, ' Sir, you are convinced 
this is something preternatural. If so you cannot hurt it; but 
you give it power to hurt you.' He then went close to the place 
and said sternly, * Thou deaf and dumb devil, why dost thou 
fright these children that cannot answer for themselves? Come 
to me in my study, that am a man/ Instantly it knocked his 
knock — the particular one which he always used at the gate — as 
if it would shiver the board in pieces, and we heard nothing more 
that night. 

" Till this time my father had never heard the least disturb- 
ance in his study; but the next evening, as he attempted to go 
into his study, of which none had any key but himself, when he 
opened the door it was thrust back with such violence as had 
like to have thrown him down. However, he thrust the door 
open, and went in. Presently there was a knocking first on one 
side then on the other ; and, after a time, in the next room where- 
in my sister Nancy was. He went into that room, and the noise 



376 Book of Knowledge. 

continuing, adjured it to speak, but in vain. He then said, ' These 
spirits love darkness, put out the candle and perhaps it will speak.' 
She did so and he repeated his adjurgation; but still there was 
only knocking and no articulate sound. Upon this he said, 
1 Nancy, two Christians are an overmatch for the devil. Go all 
of you downstairs; it may be when I am alone it will have 
the courage to speak/ When she was gone a thought came in 
and he said, ' If thou art the spirit of my son Samuel, I pray thee 
knock three knocks and no more.' Immediately all was silence 
and there was no more knocking all that night. I asked my 
sister Nancy, then about fifteen years old, whether she was not 
afraid when my father used that adjuration? She answered she 
was sadly afraid it would speak when she put out the candle; 
but she was not at all afraid in the daytime, when it walked after 
her as she swept the chambers, as it constantly did, and seemed 
to sweep after her. Only she thought he might have done it for 
her and saved her the trouble. By this time all my family were 
so accustomed to these noises that they gave them little disturb- 
ance. A gentle tapping at their bed-head usually began between 
nine and ten at night. Then they commonly said to each other, 
' Jeffery is coming it is time to go to sleep.' And if they heard 
a noise in the day and said to my youngest sister, ' Hark, Kezzy, 
Jeffery is knocking above,' she would run upstairs and pursue it 
from room to room, saying she desired no better diversion. 

" A few nights after, my father and mother were just gone 
to bed, and the candle was not taken away, when they heard 
three blows, and a second and a third three, as it were, with a 
large oaken staff, struck upon a chest which stood by the bedside. 
My father immediately rose, and hearing great noises below, took 
the candle and went down; my mother walked by his side. As 
they went down the broad stairs, they heard as if a vessel full of 
silver was poured upon my mother's breast and ran jingling down 
to her feet. Quickly after there was a sound as if a large iron 
ball was thrown among many bottles under the stairs ; but nothing 
was hurt. Soon after our large mastiff dog came and ran to 
shelter himself between them. When the disturbances continued, 
he used to bark and leap and snap on one side and on the other, 
and that frequently before any person in the room heard any 



The Wesley s, White-field and Fletcher of Madeley. 377 

noise at all. But after two or three days he used to tremble 
and creep away before the noise began; and by this the family 
knew it was at hand, nor did the observation ever fail. A little 
before my father and mother came into the hall, it seemed as if 
a very large coal was violently thrown upon the floor, and dashed 
all in pieces; but nothing was seen. My father then cried out, 
' Sukey, do you not hear that ? All the pewter is thrown about 
the kitchen.' But when they looked all the pewter stood in its 
place. Then there was a loud knocking at the back door. My 
father opened it but saw nothing. It was then at the front door. 
He opened that but it still was lost labor. After opening first 
the one then the other several times, he turned and went up to 
bed. But the noises were so violent all over the house that he 
could not sleep till four in the morning. 

" Several gentlemen and clergymen now earnestly advised my 
father to quit the house ; but he constantly answered, ' No ; lest the 
devil flee from me I will never flee from the devil.' But he wrote 
to my eldest brother at London to come down. He was preparing 
to do so, when another letter came, informing him that the dis- 
turbances were over, after they had continued the better part of 
the time, day and night, from the 2d of December to the end of 
January." 

In this summary by John Wesley, a number of curious in- 
cidents are omitted which occur in the statements of the other 
members of the family. In the elder Wesley's account, the noise 
of smashing the bottles under the stairs had been heard before 
by Miss Emily Wesley; and in the same account is mentioned 
the sound of dancing in a matted chamber which was vacant and 
locked up. The vicar procured a stout mastiff to watch outside 
the house to make sure that the noises were no trick by any living 
person there. He says that when one of his daughters knocked 
the spirit answered in the same way. The noise of money thrown 
down, he says, three of his daughters also heard' at a different 
time. ... It seems not to have been a bad spirit; for it 
ceased to knock when Mr. Wesley, fearing his son Samuel was 
dead, asked it to knock three times if it were his spirit ; and after 
Mrs. Wesley desired it never to disturb her at her devotions it 
never did. Mr. Wesley did not know, as is well known now, 



378 Book of Knowledge. 

that it is very difficult for a spirit to speak audibly to those in 
the body, and that knocking is the easiest way by which spirits 
can communicate. Had he hit on the method of questioning it 
by the alphabet he might soon have learnt the object of his visits. 

It may well be imagined what a sensation these strange oc- 
currences made on the minds of the boys at school. There are 
letters from nearly all the family to John and also to the eldest 
brother Samuel at Westminster. Though his father wrote him 
out the whole account, he insisted that all his sisters should send 
him their own accounts. In fact, Samuel, who afterwards so 
stoutly opposed the religious reforms of his brothers, was per- 
haps the most curious of them all on the subject. And here it 
may be observed that, though his visitation continued only two 
months, we are assured by John Wesley that these knockings 
had been heard by his mother long before in the same house, and 
that they had never failed to come before any signal misfortune, 
or illness of any of the family. No particular calamity appeared 
to have followed this manifestation. 

John Wesley, having had such unquestionable proof of super- 
natural agency in his own family in his youth, held fast his faith 
in it through his whole remarkable career, and has recorded 
numerous instances of such direct agency both in his Journals 
and in the Armenian Magazine. It is not necessary here to trace 
the grand progress of John and Charles Wesley and their con- 
temporaries, in the wonderful revival of religion in the eighteenth 
century, not only in Great Britain, but in the most distant quar- 
ters of the globe. The whole of that great history stands re- 
corded by the ablest pens, and in the millions of men and women 
who now walk in the pleasant light and in the happy feeling they 
spread abroad. I shall only remark that, like all other revivals, 
it met with the devil's tempest, which beats on the heads of God's 
emissaries only to drive them and their opinions farther and 
wider, and to fix them deeper in the battered and storm-drenched 
earth. From the Church to which these devoted men of God 
belonged, and within which they would fain have relit the sacred 
fire on the altar, they experienced the most savage and insulting 
treatment. The little knot of under-graduates who met in the 
University of Oxford for the purpose of religious improvement — 



The Wesleys, Whitefield and Fletcher of Madeley. 379 

who lived by rule, and took the sacrament weekly — were speedily 
marked out for ridicule and persecution. They were dubbed 
Sacramentarians, Bible-bigots, Bible-moths, the Holy or the 
Godly Club. Amongst the leading members of this Godly Club, 
which began with two or three, and soon grew to seven, and 
then to fifteen, were John and Charles Wesley, George White- 
field and Hervey, afterwards author of the " Meditations." 
When Whitefield joined them he says he was set upon by all 
the students and treated as a very odd fellow. The lives and 
manners of the students at that time were such as Butler, in 
his " Analogy," had described them, gross and vicious. Such 
was the condition of the embryo prophets of the nation. That 
such sons of Belial should insult and abuse the Methodist re- 
vivalists was natural, but the authorities of the University were 
equally hostile to them. An appearance of real religion within 
the University was so odd and out of place that they held meet- 
ings to consult how it was to be put down. On Whitefield, 
after quitting the University, returning to Oxford to preach 
he found all the churches shut against him. The vice-chancellor 
came in person to the house where he was exhorting, and ac- 
costed him thus: "Have you, sir, a name in any book here?" 
" Yes, sir," said I ; but I intend to take it out soon." He re- 
plied, " Yes, and you had better take yourself out, too, or 
otherwise I will lay you by the heels ! What do you mean by 
going about and alienating the people's affections from their 
old pastors? Your works are full of vanity and nonsense! 
You pretend to inspiration ! If ever you come again in this 
manner among these people, I will lay you first by the heels, 
and these shall follow." (" Life of Whitfield," by Philip.) • 

Both the Wesleys and Whitefield, though regularly or- 
dained ministers of the church, soon found all pulpits shut 
against them; even that of his native place and parish, which 
his father had occupied so many years, was refused to John 
Wesley. The Bishop of Bristol desired Wesley to go out of his 
diocese where he was not commissioned to preach, and where, 
consequently, Southey says, " he had no business." But both 
the Wesleys and Whitefield held that they had a commission 
from the Head of the Church to preach anywhere in the world. 



380 Book of Knowledge. 

They asked, like the apostles, whether they were to obey God 
or man? When the Churches were closed against them, they 
were told that it was irregular to preach either in the open 
air or in a private house. The chancellor of the diocese of 
Bristol showed Whitefield the canons prohibiting it. Such 
irregularities were not becoming a minister of the Established 
Church; they were only fit for Christ and His apostles, who 
preached both in private houses and out of doors, anywhere 
they could save souls. Driven to follow the practice of the 
Founder of the Christian Church, and of Him who said, " Go 
into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in," 
the success was wonderful, and the fury of clergy, bishops, 
magistrates and mobs unbounded. The days of the Quakers 
came again. The leaders and the ministers of the Methodists 
were hooted, stoned, spit upon, cursed, and thrown into horse- 
ponds for endeavoring to rekindle religion again in the country. 
They were denounced as Papists, Jesuits, seducers, and bring- 
ers in of the Pretender. At Chelsea the mob threw wildfire and 
crackers into the meeting; at Long Lane they broke in the 
roof with large stones ; John Nelson, one of the preachers, was 
forced to go for a soldier, and, refusing to comply, was thrown 
into prison; mobs were collected by the sounds of horn; 
windows were demolished; houses broken open; goods de- 
stroyed; men, women and children beaten, pelted, and dragged 
in the kennels. John Wesley had a narrow escape for his life 
at Birmingham; Charles in another place; and Whitefield at 
Oxminton Green in Ireland. Some of the preachers did not 
escape at all, but, like poor Thomas Beard, the fellow-prisoner 
of Nelson, they perished in prison or from their cruel treatment. 
But persecution only produced its usual effects. The success 
of the Methodists became stupendous. The fire of God seemed 
to accompany them, and people were converted by thousands 
and tens of thousands. There were wide differences in the nat- 
ural geniuses of these men. Whitefield was all impulse and 
oratory; he took no pains, probably he possessed no talent, 
necessary to organize a great religious body. He preached as 
with energies of heaven, as with flashes of lightning; and the 
people rushed after him in millions and were struck down and 



The Wesleys, Whitefield and Fletcher of Madeley. 381 

converted by thousands. But what he lacked in constructive 
power was soon presented in the Countess of Huntingdon, who 
shaped into organic form the Whitefieldian or Calvinist Method- 
ist Church, which still exists, and especially throughout Wales. 
As for John Wesley, who was of the same original stock as the 
Duke of Wellington (see Southey's " Life of Wesley ") he pos- 
sessed many of the qualities of that great general. He was 
eminently calm, firm and full of constructive genius. He per- 
fected a scheme of Church government most remarkable for 
comprehending all the qualities which can draw men to it, and 
keep them there when attracted. He seized upon material 
necessary for such an organization whenever he could find it; 
and one of his earliest connections was with the society of the 
Moravians, from whom he drew his Love-feasts and Class- 
meetings, and all those agencies which make every man and 
woman something in his system, in exact opposition to the 
system of the Church of England where the clergy are every- 
thing and the laity nothing. At the same time his brother 
Charles, who was not only an able preacher and a sound and 
good counsellor but an excellent poet, wrote many admirable 
hymns for the society. Thus arose Methodism, Armenian and 
Calvinistic, which have done such mighty service for religion in 
many regions of the world; and what concerns us to know is 
that they did it by Spiritualism of the most marked and avowed 
kind. 

I have said that the Wesleys always retained the faith in 
spiritual apparitions which they learned under the paternal 
roof so startlingly. As to direct belief in miracles and inter- 
ferences of Providence they found this in William Law, the 
great disciple of Jacob Bohme, with whom they entered into 
close communion, and in the Moravians, who were full of it. 
The " Life of Wesley," by Southey, in connection with this and 
other particulars, is one of the most amusing of books, at least 
in the third edition ; for he had sent a copy of the work to Cole- 
ridge, who made marginal notes as he went along, and then 
left the volume at his death to Southey. These notes are intro- 
duced by Southey's son into the third edition. Coleridge, who 
is himself sometimes inclined to sneer at the supernatural, won't 



382 Book of Knowledge. 

allow Southey to do it, but on all occasions, when the laureate's 
High-churchism breaks out, pulls him up, asking continually, 
" Does not Robert Southey know this ? " In all such cases 
he becomes the staunchest champion of the truth of the views 
of Wesley. In the course of my reading I imagined that I had 
made a great discovery, namely, that Protestantism only, of all 
churches, Christian or pagan, rejected the supernatural; but 
Coleridge had made the discovery before me, and in a note to 
Southey's " Wesley " introduces it. " I cannot forget that this 
opinion of an essential difference, of the diversity of these (the 
miracles of the Gospels) from the miracles of the two or three 
first centuries, and that of the withdrawing of the miraculous 
power from the Church at the death of the apostles are con- 
fined to Protestants, and even among these are but modern." 
(Vol. I, 253.) Southey complains of certain words of Wesley's 
being fanatical ; "and yet," asks Coleridge, " does not Robert 
Southey see that they are the very words of the apostles ? " In 
another place, " Did Robert Southey remember that the words 
in italics are faithfully quoted from the Articles of the Church ?" 
(Vol. I, 245.) When Wesley asserts the wonderful powers of 
real faith, Coleridge adds, " Faith is as real as life ; as actual as 
force; as effectual as volition. It is the physics of the moral 
being no less than it is the physics or moral of the zoo-physical." 
(Vol. II, 82.) When Southey treats the physical phenomena 
of Methodism as proceeding from bodily disease (for he was 
very ignorant of mesmeric science), Coleridge exclaims, " Alas, 
what more or worse could a young infidel spitaller, fresh from 
the lectures of some factious anatomist or physiologist, wish 
than to have the " love of God and the strong desire for salva- 
tion " represented as so many symptoms and causes of a bodily 
disease ? Oh, I am almost inclined to send this, my copy of his 
work, to R. Southey, with the notes, for my heart bears him 
witness that he offendeth not willingly." (Vol. II, 165.) And 
he did send it. 

The preaching of both the Wesleys and Whitefield produced 
those symptoms of violent agitation, convulsion, and the like, 
which have appeared in the late revivals, and which, in fact, 
have been common to all great revivals in every age, since the 



The Wesleys, White field and Fletcher of Madeley. 383 

people in the apostles' days cried out, " What shall we do to be 
saved ? " and since the devils threw their victims on the earth 
and tore them before they would leave them, if we regard the 
convulsions and prostrations, the foaming and outcries, as the 
sufferings of nature under the operations of God's omnipotent 
Spirit, and the resistance of the devil, loth to relinquish his 
hold on the souls of men, there appears nothing anomalous or 
extraordinary in these phenomena which have so often been 
treated with ridicule or reprehension. Such were the effects of 
the preaching of the Friends of God in the Middle Ages, of the 
Lollards, the Puritans, the Covenanters, the Camisards, the 
first Friends and so on till our own day; and no doubt will 
recur again and again to the end of the world. 

In Gillie's " Historical Collections " we find precisely such 
phenomena occurring at the same period, 1750, in Scotland, as 
have been so much wondered at amongst the early Methodists 
and since. 

On Whitefield's visit to Cambulsang, in 1742, amid the most 
numerous and rapid conversions, it is stated " the visible con- 
vulsive agitations which accompanied them exceeded every- 
thing of the kind which had yet been observed." 

Wesley healed the sick by prayer and laying on of hands. 
He and some others joined in prayer over a man who was not 
expected to live till morning; he was speechless, senseless, and 
his pulse was gone. Before they ceased his senses and speech 
returned. He recovered; and Wesley says that they who 
choose to account for the fact by natural causes have his free 
leave : he says it was the power of God (Vol. II, p. 385). He 
believed in dreams and impressions of a vivid and peculiar char- 
acter. John Nelson dreamed that Wesley came and sat down 
at his fireside and spake certain words. Four months after he 
did come, for the first time, sat down as he had seen him in his 
dream, and pronounced the very words. Nelson seems to have 
experienced the inner breathing described by Harris and 
Swedenborg. " His soul," he said, " seemed to breathe its life 
in God as naturally as his body breathed life in the common 
air." Wesley believed, with Luther, that the devils produced 



384 Book of Knowledge. 

disease, bodily hurts, storms, earthquakes and nightmare. That 
epilepsy and insanity often proceeded from demon influence. 
He declared that if he gave up faith in witchcraft he must give 
up the Bible. When asked whether he had himself ever seen 
a ghost, he replied, " No ; nor have I ever seen a murder ; but 
unfortunately I am compelled to believe that murders are com- 
mitted almost every day in one place or another." Warburton 
attacked Wesley's belief in miraculous cures and expulsion of 
evil spirits ; but Wesley replied that what he had seen with his 
own eyes he was bound to believe ; the bishop could believe or 
not as he pleased. Wesley records the instantaneous cure of a 
woman named Mary Special of a cancer in both breasts. 
Southey quotes the relations regarding Thomas Walsh, one of 
the Wesleyan preachers, which very much resemble those of 
Catholic saints. He was sometimes found in so deep a reverie 
that he appeared to have ceased to breathe; there was some- 
thing resembling splendor on his countenance and other cir- 
cumstances seemed to attest his communion with the spiritual 
world. 

But the fact for Which Southey decries Wesley most is his 
faith in apparitions. On this point Mr. Watson ably defends 
him ; and with his remarks I may close mine on Wesley : " To 
Mr. Wesley's learning, and various and great talents, Mr. 
Southey is just; but an attack is made upon what he calls his 
" voracious credulity." He accredited and repeated stories of 
apparitions, and witchcraft, possession so silly as well as mon- 
strous that they might have nauseated the coarsest appetite 
for wonder; this, too, when the belief on his part was purely 
gratuitous, and no motive can be assigned except the pleasure 
of believing. 

On the general question of supernatural appearances it may 
be remarked that Mr. Wesley might at least have plead author- 
ities for his faith as high, as numerous, and as learned as any 
of our modern skeptics for their doubts. It is in modern times 
only that this species of infidelity has appeared, with the excep- 
tion of the sophists of the atheistical sects in Greece and Rome, 
and the Sadducees amongst the Jews. The unbelief is so com- 
mon in the present day among free-thinkers and half-thinkers 



The Wesley s, Whitefield and Fletcher oj Madeley. 385 

on such subjects, places itself, therefore, with only these ex- 
ceptions, in opposition to the belief of the learned and un- 
learned of every age and every nation, polished, semi-civilized 
and savage in every quarter of the globe. It does more : it 
places itself in opposition to the Scriptures, from which all the 
criticism, bold, subtle, profane, or absurd which has been re- 
sorted to can never expunge either apparitions, possessions or 
witchcrafts. It opposes itself to testimony which, if feeble and 
unsatisfactory in many instances, is such in others that no man 
in any other case would refuse assent to it ; or, so refusing, he 
would make himself the subject of a just ridicule. That there 
have been many impostures is allowed; that many have been 
deceived is certain; and that all such accounts should be sub- 
jected to rigorous scrutiny before they can have any title to 
our belief ought to be insisted upon. But even imposture and 
error presupposes a previous opinion in favor of what is pre- 
tended or mistaken; and if but one account in twenty, or a 
hundred, stands upon credible evidence, and is corroborated by 
circumstances in which, from their nature there can be no mis- 
take, there is sufficient to disturb the quiet and confound the 
system of the whole body of infidels. 

Every age has its dangers. In former times the danger lay 
in believing too much; in our own time the propensity is in 
believing too little. The only ground which a Christian can 
safely take on these questions is, that the a priori arguments of 
philosophic unbelievers as to the " absurdity " and " impossi- 
bility " of these things, go for nothing, since the Scriptures have 
settled the fact that they have occurred, and have afforded not 
the least intimation that they should at any time cease to occur. 
Such supernatural visitations are therefore possible ; and where 
they are reported ought to be carefully examined, and neither 
too promptly admitted nor too harshly rejected. An acute and 
excellent philosopher of modern times has come to the same 
conclusion (Mr. Andrew Baxter, in his " Inquiry into the 
Nature of the Human Soul," in the Essay on the Philosophy 
of Dreaming). "Although a fear of spirits has been abused by 
vain or weak people, and carried to extremes, perhaps, by 
crafty and designing men, the most rigorous philosophy will 



386 Book of Knowledge. 

not justify its being entirely rejected. That subordinate beings 
are never permitted or commissioned tjb be the ministers of the 
will of God is a hard point to be proved." (Watson's " Ob- 
servations on Southey's Life of Wesley," p. 189-193.) 

I have already introduced proofs of Whitefield's Spiritual- 
ism. He had a profound belief in the immediate and mirac- 
ulous operation of the Divine Spirit. When Bishop Warbur- 
ton ridiculed his belief in immediate inspiration, and declared 
" all influence exceeding the power of humanity miraculous, 
and, therefore, not now to be believed in, the Church being 
perfectly established," Whitefield referred him to the Cate- 
chism, where it tells the child that it is not able to do what is 
required of it except by God's special grace; and asked him 
Whether, when he ordained ministers, he did not say, " Dost 
thou trust that thou art inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost? 
Then receive thou the Holy Ghost" Though these might, to 
the Bishop, as to essayists and reviewers now, have become a 
mere form of words, to Whitefield they were living and sacred 
truths. He saw wonderful effects produced by his preaching, 
and he attributed these to divine power. " He found," says his 
biographer, " that the divine presence might be calculated upon 
whenever the divine glory was consulted " (" Life," by G. 
Philips, p. 76). " How often have we been filled as with new 
wine ; how often have I seen them overwhelmed with the divine 
presence ! " (p. 78). " Vile teachers who say that we are not 
to receive the Holy Ghost! ,r (p. 85). "We do not mean that 
God's Spirit does not manifest itself to our senses, but that it 
may be perceived by the soul as really as any sensible impres- 
sion made upon the body " (p. 88). " In my prayer the power 
of God came down and was greatly felt. In my two sermons 
there was yet more power " (p. 295). " I felt a divine life dis- 
tinct from my animal life" (p. 321). This was when he was 
suffering agonies of bodily pain ; and he declares that this divine 
life suspended all his pains, and enabled him to go out and 
preach. " A gale of divine influence everywhere attended his 
preaching " (p. 408). It was only such a power that could pro- 
duce the effects which followed Whitefield. 

In America Whitefield went with William Tennant, who had 



The Wesleys, White field and Fletcher of Madeley. 387 

once lain in a trance for three days and was only saved from 
being buried alive by his physician. For the wonders of this 
trance see Howitt's Translation of " Ennemoser's History of 
Magic," II, p. 429. Tennant totally lost his memory for a long 
time after this trance. When the agitations attending his 
preaching were, like Spiritualism to-day, attributed by the 
clergy to the devil, Whitefield replied, " Is it not amazing rash- 
ness, without inquiry and trial to pronounce that a work of the 
devil which, for anything you know, may be the work of the 
Infinitely Good and Holy Spirit?" (p. 300.) For some time 
Whitefield says, he was constrained, whether he would or not, 
when praying for the king, to say, " Lord, cover thou his head 
in the day of battle ! " He adds that he did not know that the 
king was gone to Germany till he heard of the battle of Det- 
tingen, and the king being in it. He then saw why he had been 
forced to pray thus. In what light such doctrine of prayer 
must have been held by the Church at that time is evident from 
six students, in 1763, being expelled from St. Edmund's Hall, 
Oxford, for praying and reading the Scriptures. They were, 
some of them, charged with the additional offense of having 
followed trades before they entered the University. They were 
taken into Lady Huntingdon's College at Trevecca, in Wales : 
Whitefield and Lady Huntingdon not having forgotten that 
" the carpenter's Son " was the head of their religion. 

A noble fellow-worker with both Wesley and Whitefield 
was Fletcher of Madeley. Mr. Fletcher was a Swiss by birth, 
and his real name was Jean Guillaume de la Flechere; but, on 
coming to England, he anglicized it into plain John Fletcher. 
He was descended from a noble family in the Pays de Vaud, 
and was educated for the ministry ; but, as he could not sub- 
scribe to the doctrine of predestination, he resolved to seek 
preferment as a soldier of fortune. Various circumstances pre- 
vented this, and he came to England, and became tutor in the 
family of Mr. Hill, of Fern Hall, in Shropshire. He there re- 
ceived ordination as a minister of the Church of England, and 
was presented with the living of Madeley, in Shropshire, through 
Mr. Hill's influence. The income was small, and the people, 
chiefly colliers and iron-workers, exceedingly rude and ignor- 



388 Book of Knowledge. 

ant. For some time his attempts at religious reform met with 
much violence and persecution from them, as well as from the 
neighboring magistrates and clergy; but the mild and truly 
Christian spirit of Mr. Fletcher, and his warm benevolence, won 
for him the affection and veneration of the whole country. 
Never did the religion of Christ show itself in a more beautiful 
and amiable form than in the practice and teaching of John 
Fletcher of Madeley. He married Miss Bosanquet, a lady of 
a distinguished London family and who, having had similar 
religious and spiritual experiences to his own, went hand in 
hand with him in all his religious and benevolent exertions ; so 
that their names have become household words not only in 
their own neighborhood but with the public at large. When 
the followers of Wesley and Whitefield separated on account 
of the great doctrines of Calvin and Arminius, as well as on 
some minor points, John Fletcher went of necessity, as he could 
not accept predestination, with Mr. Wesley; but he also enter- 
tained a warm friendship for Whitefield and Lady Huntingdon. 
As Wesley's Spiritualism was of a many-sided character, and 
Whitefield's more concentrated on the immediate power of the 
Holy Ghost in preaching, so Fletcher's combined the faith of 
Whitefield with a more marked reliance on divine Providences. 
His life records many striking instances of such. As I have 
said, he was bent on being a soldier in his youth. He went to 
Lisbon and became a captain of volunteers of his own country- 
men bound for Brazil, contrary to the injunctions of his parents. 
But the morning that the ship sailed the maid let the kettle fall 
and so scalded his leg that he could not go. The ship sailed 
without him and was never heard of again. (" Life," p. 10.) 

He was addicted, like too many, to reading in bed till very 
sleepy. One night he dreamed that his curtain, pillow and 
cap were all on fire but went out without doing him any harm. 
In the morning he found his curtain, pillow and part of his 
cap all destroyed by fire. His hymnbook, too, was partly burnt, 
and in this state was preserved by Mrs. Fletcher. Not a hair 
of his head was singed. He attributed the extinction of the 
flames to a messenger from God (p. 26). On another occasion 
he was intending one Sunday evening to proceed to Madeley 



The Wesleys, White-field and Fletcher of Madcley. 389 

Wood to catechize, bu't he was suddenly called to bury a child, 
and the delay thus created prevented a villainous design of the 
colliers. They had brought a bull to the place of preaching, 
and had agreed to pull the parson off his horse when he came, 
and set the dogs on him, as they said, " to bait the parson " ; 
but, owing to the long time before Fletcher appeared, the bull 
had broken loose and dispersed the drunken colliers, and the 
preaching went on in peace (p. 73) 

He gave to John Wesley an account of his once bathing in 
the Rhine, and being carried away by the current and drawn 
under a mill. That he struck against one of the piles and lost 
all consciousness, and when he recovered it found himself on 
the shore five miles below the spot at which he had entered, 
but free from any soreness or weariness. A gentleman 
amongst others who had seen him disappear under the mill 
said that he was under the water twenty minutes. But some 
will say, " Why, this was a miracle ! " " Undoubtedly," ob- 
serves Mr. Wesley. " It was not a natural event, but a work 
wrought above the power of nature, probably by the ministry 
of angels " (p. 7). 

Whilst Mr. Fletcher presided over the college at Trevecca 
he had many journeys to make. One day, as he was riding 
over a wooden bridge, just as he got to the middle of it it broke 
in. The mare's forelegs sank into the river, bult the body was 
kept up by the bridge. In that position she lay as still as if 
she had been dead till he got over her neck and took off his 
bags, in which were several manuscripts, the spoiling of which 
would have occasioned him much trouble; he then endeavored 
to raise her up, but she would not stir till he went over to the 
other side of the bridge. But no sooner did he set his foot 
upon the ground than she began to plunge. Immediately the 
remaining part of the bridge broke down and sank with her 
into the river. Bu<t presently she rose up again, swam out, 
and came to him (p. 83). 

Incidents like these the cold, logical professor of a tradition- 
ary Christianity, always struggling against the vitality of the 
Gospel, will reason quietly away as mere curious occurrences; 
but the early leaders of Methodism, in my opinion, more truly 



390 Book of Knowledge. 

set them down as providential acts in the case of God's servants. 
There are many other passages in all the lives of the early 
Methodists which relate spiritual revelations and impressions 
which mere theoretic professors would smile at as fancies and 
enthusiasm. All vital Christians, however, of whatever Church, 
have found them as real as any other circumstances of their 
lives. The language of the early Methodists is strikingly like 
that of the early Quakers in many particulars. They continually 
say they are " impressed " so and so. 

Mr. Fletcher says that on one occasion, when quite awake, 
he had a very clear and palpable vision of Christ on the Cross. 
On another occasion he heard a divine voice speaking to him 
" in an inexpressibly awful sound." At another time he had, 
like Moses, a supernatural discovery of the glory of God, and 
had an ineffable converse with Him; whether in the body or 
out of the body he could not tell. Many impressions of the 
presence of the Holy Spirit were felt by him in an extraordinary 
manner. 

One dark and wet night, he being in the country on a preach- 
ing journey, Mrs. Fletcher had a sudden vision of her husband 
being thrown over the head of his horse which had fallen. The 
scene was clear to her eyes. She commended him to God, and 
immediately peace flowed into her soul. When he at length 
arrived he called for water to wash, proceeding to relate exactly 
what she had seen (p. 338). 

One morning Mr. Fletcher had set out into the country to 
visit an eminently pious clergyman. When he had walked sev- 
eral miles he saw a great crowd collected at the door of a house, 
and found that a poor woman and child were dying. The 
woman had been only recently confined; she appeared very 
near death; and little better was the case of the infant, which 
was convulsed from 'head to foot. The room was filled with 
people. He spoke with them of the power of God to forgive 
sins and raise the dead; and he then prayed that He would save 
both the sufferers and the spectators. Whilst he prayed the 
child's convulsions ceased, and the mother became easy, then 
cheerful, then strong. The people were amazed, and stood 
speechless and almost senseless ! Whilst they were in this 



The Wesleys, Whitefield and Fletcher of Madeley. 391 

state he silently withdrew. When they came to themselves he 
was gone. Many of them asked, " What could it be ? " Some 
said, " Certainly it was an angel " (p. 290). 

On one occasion Mr. Fletcher was seized with a strange 
confusion. As he ascended the pulpit his sermon and the very 
text vanished from his memory, and he thought he should 
have to descend without saying anything. But on reading the 
first lesson, the third chapter of Daniel, containing the account 
of the three worthies being caslt into the fiery furnace, his 
mouth was opened, and he preached on the subject in a manner 
extraordinary to himself. He believed there was some cause 
for it; and desired that, if it applied in any way to any one 
present, they would let him know. One the following Wednes- 
day he was informed that a butcher had threatened to cut his 
wife's throat if she persisted in going to Mr. Fletcher's church. 
That Sunday she had been in great terror but resolved, not- 
withstanding, to go. Her husband said that, if she did go, he 
would not cut her throat, but that he would heat the oven and 
throw her in the moment she came home. The sermon was 
singularly applicable to her case; she gathered courage and 
firmly believed that she, too, would be delivered from the savage 
wrath of her husband. When she opened the door, to her 
astonishment her husband was sitting in a remarkably subdued 
mood; and the very next Sunday he himself accompanied her 
to church and received the sacrament. Mr. Fletcher adds that 
the man's good impressions did not remain; but that he him- 
self saw why his sermon had been taken from him (p. 336). 

Like many good men this eminent servant of God had a 
clear announcement of his approaching death by impression. 
His wife writes: "About two months ago he came to me and 
said, ' My dear love, I know not how it is, but I have a strange 
impression that death is near us, as if it were in some sudden 
stroke upon one of us ; and it draws all my soul in prayer that 
we may be ready.' The intimation was not long in being ful- 
filled. He was contemplating a journey to London, but during 
prayer, when seeking light upon the subject, the answer was, 
' Not to London, but to the grave.' He was seized with a 
shivering in his pulpit, and remarked on returning home that 



392 Book of Knowledge. 

he had taken cold. It was the commencement of his last 
illness." 

Such were the first founders of Methodism. Men who 
restored religion in a most remarkable manner, and to a most 
splendid extent, by boldly asserting the present and eternal 
vitality of the power and divine gifts of the Church. Their suc- 
cess was a proof of the truth of their doctrine. Obeying that 
doctrine they became the witnesses of it to the modern world 
as the apostles had been to the ancient one. In this fact lies 
a great subject for reflection; a warning to the professors of all 
phases of Christianity to let its ancient spirit work. 



CHAPTER XIV. 
A CHAPTER OF POETS. 

All genuine poetry is, of its own nature, spiritual : all genu- 
ine poets write under inspiration. With the ancients, vates and 
poet were synonymous. If it be replied that what poets have 
written under invocation to the Muses, or to other powers, 
has been to themselves most commonly consciously and 
avowedly fable and fiction; it may be responded that, in this 
form of fable, they have endeavored to lay down eternal truths, 
and in the very machinery of supernatural agencies adopted, 
have recognized the faith of their predecessors. Campbell de- 
fined poetry on this principle : " For song is but the eloquence 
of truth." 

In their closets, and under their truest influences, all authors, 
prose or poetic, are Spiritualists. Nothing would be easier 
than to establish this position from the pages of every man and 
woman who have written with sufficient energy to seize on the 
spirit of their age. I have shown the genuine Spiritualism of 
the ancient classical poets; if we pass through the literature of 
any modern country we find the best authors asserting spiritual 
impressions on their minds in the hours of composition. I have 
noticed the confession of Schiller; and in the conversations of 
Eckermann with Goethe, and in Goethe's autobiography, we 
have repeated declarations of that author's belief in supernatural 
agency. He relates the constant prescience of his grandfather 
who knew long beforehand what would come to pass, and when 
current events ran apparently counter to his internal intima- 
tions. So we might go through the great writers of both Ger- 
many, Scandinavia, France and every other country. Rousseau 
was full of such convictions ; and perhaps no man was ever 
more under direct spirit influence. My space allows me only 
to notice the Spiritualism of a few of the leading poets of Italy 



394 Book of Knowledge. 

and our own country as examples ; and when I say poets, the 
same applies to all prose writers and to artists. I have already 
quoted the " Confessions of Raphael," and to him might be 
added Michael Angelo and other great artists of Italy. There 
are most amazing facts of the kind in the life of Benvenuto 
Cellini. In our own country, and that even in our own time, 
the involuntary confessions of our novelists, even of those who 
profess to scoff at Spiritualism, are extraordinary. Amongst 
these Charles Dickens has played with Spiritualism as a cat 
with a mouse ; it has a wonderful fascination for him. All his 
literary life through he has been introducing the marvellous and 
the ghostly into his novels ; and has of late years in his period- 
icals been alternately attacking Spiritualism, and giving you 
most accredited instances of it. He has printed accounts of 
apparitions, assuring you that he knows the persons who have 
seen them, and that they are not only perfectly sane but thor- 
oughly trustworthy. To him we owe the first publication of 
the extraordinary experiences of Mr. Heaphy, the artist. When 
he forgets the critical and skeptical world, the bugbear of liter- 
ary men, in the power of his closest convictions, we hear him 
using this language : " It is an exquisite and beautiful thing in 
our nature that when the heart is touched and softened by some 
tranquil happiness or affectionate feeling the memory of the 
dead comes over it most powerfully and irresistibly. It would 
seem almost as though our better thoughts and sympathies 
were charms, in virtue of which the soul is enabled to hold some 
vague and mysterious intercourse with the spirits of those we 
loved in life. Alas ! how often and how long may these patient 
angels hover around us, watching for the spell which is so 
seldom uttered and so soon forgotten ! " Miss Bronte is still 
more decided: " Besides this earth, and besides the race of men 
there is an invisible world and a kingdom of spirits. That 
world is round us, for it is everywhere ; and those spirits watch 
us, for they are commissioned to guard us," etc. She makes a 
voice to be heard from an impossible distance according to 
natural acoustics, and asserts that, though strange, it is true. 
Miss Mulock describes her spiritualistic friends as people with 
good warm hearts, but with little head, and then she goes on 



A Chapter of Poets. 395 

and embellishes her volumes with all sorts of Spiritualism. 
Such are the inconsistencies of minds in a woful dilemma be- 
twixt their education and the ineradicable force of nature. The 
deep interest which Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton has always 
taken in spiritual phenomena he has himself made familiar to 
every one. But, from these general remarks, I revert to my 
immediate object. 

The great poets of Italy are, from their religion, necessarily 
Spiritualists. They are taught by the Catholic and Infallible 
Church full faith in the agency on earth of spiritual powers, 
sacred and infernal, and that exhibited in every form of divine 
interposition and of magic. Dante makes himself be conducted 
through hell, purgatory and paradise by departed spirits — by 
Virgil through the two former regions ; by Beatrice through the 
latter. The whole frame and substance of his great poem, 
the " Divinia Commedia," are spiritual ; and had we not other 
evidence of Dante's more poetical belief, we might safely have 
pronounced his knowledge of spiritual subjedts spiritually com- 
municated — the laws of spiritual life as communicated by him 
being so perfectly, for the most part, in accordance with still 
more modern revelations. It would be a good work of some 
one well acquainted with the poetry of Dante to give us an 
elaborate demonstration of this to which I can merely allude. 
He pronounces the great law of spirit intercourse, however, in 
his Paradise, most positively not as a poetical idea but as a 
philosophical truth. 

High functions to pure substances were given, 
When first created ; these with powers were graced 
To execute on earth the will of heaven. 
To matter lowest station was assigned, 
Compounded natures in the middle placed, 
Subject to bonds winch no one may unbind. 

Wright's Translation, Paradise, c, xxix. 

This is strikingly borne out by all the experiences of modern 
Spiritualism. The doctrine of guardian angels is not more fully 
confirmed than that direct communication betwixt embodied 



396 Book of Knowledge. 

and disembodied spirits can only take place under fixed and 
jealously guarded laws. It is these laws that present spiritual 
experiences are rendering every day clearer, to the ignorance 
skeptical minds owe their constant self-exposures, and many 
well-meaning persons their disappointments. In the prose 
works of Dante, the " Convito " and the " Monarchia," are 
numerous avowals of his faith in, and knowledge of, Spiritual- 
ism. In the " Monarchia," he says, " To the first kind of happi- 
ness we arrive by means of philosophical studies, following them 
up by the practice of moral and intellectual virtue. The second 
we reach by means of spiritual writings which surpass human 
reason." And again, " God does, and will do many things by 
means of angels which the Vicar of God, the successor of St. 
Peter, cannot do " (Book III). In the " Convito," he says, 
" Oh, happy those few who sit at that table where the bread of 
angels is eaten " (Trat. i. c. 1). And again, " The life of my 
heart — i.e., of my inner man — is wont to be a secret thought, 
a thought Which ascends to God — i.e., I contemplate in thought 
the kingdom of heaven " (Trat. c, II, 8). 

But in the " Vita Nuova," we find Dante having visions illus- 
trative of his coming life. This faculty he appears to have in- 
herited from his mother. Boccaccio, in his life of him, says, " A 
little while before Dante's birth, his mother saw in a dream what 
her future child was to be, which was then unknown both to her 
and to others, but is now manifest to all from the result. The 
gentle lady, in her sleep, fancied she was under a very high laurel 
tree, which grew in a green meadow by the side of a copious foun- 
tain; and there she gave birth to a son, who, being maintained 
only by the berries that fell from the laurel tree and with the 
waters of the clear fountain, seemed in a very short time to 
grow up into a shepherd, who endeavored, with his utmost 
powers, to seize the leaves of the tree with whose fruit he had 
been fed. In the midst of these endeavors he seemed to fall 
down ; and on arising up again he was no longer a man, but had 
become a peacock. At this change she was struck with so much 
wonder that she awoke; and little time elapsed before she gave 
birth to a son, who, with the consent of the father, was called 
Dante, and deservedly so; Dante being an abbreviation of Dur- 
ante, which means lasting, enduring." 



A Chapter of Poets. 397 

In the " Vita Nuova," he tells us that having received a 
pleasant salutation from Beatrice Portinari, the young lady of 
his love, " I quitted the company, as it were, in a state of intoxi- 
cation; and retiring to my chamber, I sat down to meditate on 
this most courteous lady. During my meditation a sweet sleep 
came over me in which appeared a wonderful vision. I seemed 
to see in my chamber a cloud as red as fire, in the midst of which 
I discerned the figure of a man whose aspect struck fear into the 
beholder, whilst, wonderful to say, he appeared all joy. He spoke 
of many things, few of which I understood; but amongst them 
was this, " Ego dominus tuus" " I am thy master." In his arms I 
seemed to see a sleeping figure, naked, except a slight covering 
of a blood-red colored drapery; but looking more attentively, I 
saw that it was my lady of happiness, who had condescended 
to address me on the day before. In one of his hands he seemed 
to hold something which was all in flames, and to say these words, 
" Vide cor tuum," " Behold thy heart/' And after a short time, 
he seemed to me to awaken her who slept and to exert his skill 
in such wise that he forced her to eat that which was burning in 
his hand — and this she did with hesitation and fear. He stayed 
but a short time after this, but his joy was changed into a most 
bitter lamentation. Weeping, he folded her in his arms, and with 
her, directed his course to heaven. 

Dante asked his friends what could be the meaning of this 
life-like vision; and several of them wrote him explanations 
according to their several fancies — amongst them his dearest 
friend, Guido Cavalcanti, in a sonnet commencing, "Videsli 
al mio parere ogni valore" but time was the only true inter- 
preter, and that quickly, for Beatrice died at the age of twenty- 
four. 

As Dante believed in spirit communication, so it seems that, 
after his death, he had to make one himself. Boccaccio relates 
the circumstance in his Life of Dante, and it has been reprinted 
in various memoirs of him; amongst others, in one prefixed to 
this edition of the " Divina Commedia," by Palma, of Naples, 
in 1827. The thirteen last cantos of the " Commedia " were miss- 
ing and all efforts to discover them by the family and friends of 
Dante, who were themselves accustomed to write verses and were 



398 Book of Knowledge. 

much importuned by their friends to do their best to finish their 
father's work in order that it might not remain in an imperfect 
state, were without any result, when Jacopo was surprised by an 
extraordinary vision, which not only took the presumptuous notion 
of finishing the great work of his father's out of his head, but 
showed him where the thirteen cantos were. A worthy citizen of 
Ravenna, named Pietro Giardino, who had long been a disciple of 
Dante, related that about eight months after the death of his mas- 
ter, one night a littlebef ore dawn, Jacopo, Dante's son, came to his 
house and told him that he had a little before that time seen Dante, 
his father, in a dream, clothed in shining garments, and with an un- 
usual light shining in his countenance ; and that when he inquired 
of the apparition if it yet lived, he was answered, " Yes, real life, 
not such as yours." Upon which, he further inquired if he had 
finished his poem before passing into real life, and if so, where 
was the remainder, which none of them had been able to find. 
In reply to which he received the following answer, " Yes, I did 
finish it ; " and then it seemed to him that the spirit took him 
by the hand and led him to the chamber in which he generally 
slept when alive and touching one of the partitions, said, " What 
you have so much sought for is here," and with that Dante and 
his dream vanished. He then stated that he had not been able to 
rest any longer till he had come to tell him what he had seen, 
in order that they might go together and search the place pointed 
out, which was firmly imprinted on his mind, in order to see 
whether the information came from a genuine spirit or was a 
delusion. On this account, although the night was not yet spent, 
he arose and they both went to the place indicated and there found 
some hangings fixed on the wall, and having slightly raised them, 
they saw in the wall an opening which none of them had ever 
seen before, or known to be there, and in it they found some 
manuscripts, nearly moulded and corrupted by the dampness of 
the wall; and having gently cleansed them from the mould and 
read them, they found them to be the thirteen cantos so much 
sought for by them. They then placed them in the hands of 
Messer Cane della Scala, as the author himself was wont to do, 
who joined them to the rest of the work ; and the work which had 
taken so many years to prepare was at length finished." 



A Chapter of Poets. 399 

Boccaccio was himself a profound believer in Spiritualism. 
The stories of the Decameron abound with proofs of the love of 
the marvellous, and where that love exists there is sure to be 
more or less faith. He drew these stories, however, not from 
romance, but from the " Chronicle of Helinandus," published in 
1212, as facts, only changing the names of persons and places. 
He could therefore believe and relate the apparition of Dante as 
a reality. The change of his own life had been occasioned by 
a prophetic message. In 1359, Boccaccio went to meet Petrarch 
in Milan, and on his return he stated that Petrarch had seriously 
advised him to abandon worldly pleasures and fix his affections 
on those above. In 1361 Petrarch wrote to him that he was com- 
missioned by Pietro Petroni of Certosa — a man celebrated for 
his piety, and for the miracles done by him, who had died in May 
of that year — to tell him that amongst the things impressed on 
his mind on his death-bed were, that not many years of life re- 
mained to Boccaccio, and that he would do well to abandon 
poetry. This fact, more fully stated by Manni and by the Abbe 
de Sade, had such an effect on the mind of Boccaccio that he 
determined not only to abandon poetry, but to part with all his 
books, and to abandon every profane study. Petrarch wisely 
counseled him that it was by no means necessary to relinquish 
all polite literature, much less to strip himself of all his books 
but to make good use of them, as the holy fathers and doctors of 
the Church had done in all ages. Neither the life nor the writings 
of Boccaccio, up to this moment, had been very commendable as 
the Decameron is sufficient evidence ; but he now adopted the cler- 
ical habit and commenced the study of sacred literature, in which, 
however, he made so little progress that he again relinquished the 
pursuit. In this passage we see a proof of Petrarch's spiritual 
faith as well as of Boccaccio's. In fact Petrarch was profoundly 
penetrated by faith in the spiritual powers of the Church. 

In the great poems of both Aristo and Tasso, the elements of 
supernaturalism run to perfect riot. Angels and archangels, 
prophets, magicians, and devils, are the active agents of the 
events celebrated. These were all founded on history, both sacred 
and profane, and were not only used as machinery, but believed 
in by these master poets. 



400 Book of Knowledge. 

The very first words of Tasso, in the " Gerusalemne Liberata," 
are spiritualistic " Manda a Tortosa Dio 1'Angelo." 

In the words of Wiffen's translation — " God of Torsa sends 
his angel down ; " a fit opening to one of the most exuberant 
specimens of supernaturalism in any language. Scarcely in 
Milton — who was an ardent admirer of Tasso, and the friend of 
Tasso's best friend, the Marquis Manso — are the conflicts of Diety 
and demonism, of archangels and arch-fiends, more largely, 
boldly and vigorously introduced. As Jupiter from Olympus 
looks down to earth in Homer, so the Eternal Father in Tasso. 
As the one sends down Mercury, so the God of Christians sends 
down the archangel Gabriel to their aid. The Prince of Darkness 
musters his powers below to resist the hosts of the Cross; Beel- 
zebub appears, like the ancient gods, in arms in the field; the 
fury, Alecto, fans the infernal flame of strife ; and then the Arch- 
angel Michael is commissioned to rout the diabolic powers. But 
these powers reappear in the shape of magic. The enchanted 
gardens of Armida, the spectral forest where demon serpents and 
fierce beasts prowl, and where every tree is animated by its 
spirit, are familiar to the reader. Let us pass this as fable and 
view the poet in his own life and experience. What he sung, he 
there acts and believes. He saw and conversed with spirits and 
the world pronounced him mad. He was mad in the same fashion 
as millions are mad now, as the prophets and apostles were mad. 

It is now fully admitted, by all who have carefully examined 
the matter, that Tasso was as sane, and more so, than those who 
condemned him to the hospital of Santa Anna at Ferrara. It 
was the policy of that most vindictive and implacable of tyrants, 
Alphonso, the petty Duke of Ferrara, to brand Tasso as mad, 
because he had presumed to fall in love with his sister Leonora 
D'Este. That sister might have married some wealthy duke or 
prince the dull and gilded grub of the place and the hour and have 
been no more heard of. But for a man to love her whose prince- 
dom was to extend over all time and was to cast a blazon on 
even the meanest thing of state that came near it, was an 
offense only to be expiated by the most shameful and detestable 
treatment that ever genius suffered from the hands of pampered 
insignificance. Those men of intelligence who gained admittance 



A Chapter of Poets. 401 

to the great poet — where, amid howling maniacs, and in the vilest 
squalor and contemptuous neglect, he passed his days, whilst 
publishers far and near were enriching themselves by his plun- 
dered copyrights, and torturing him with barbarous issues of 
his noblest poem — declared unanimously that he was perfectly 
sane; but that, though he was not mad, he had suffered enough 
to have driven him so. Manso, his most generous and faithful 
of friends, who knew him intimately at this and after this time, 
declares him perfectly sound of intellect; and during the short 
remaining time which he lived after his seven years detention in 
the madhouse, and which he spent in honor amid popes, cardinals, 
princes, nobles and men of genius of all kinds, no man showed 
himself more sane. That he was restless and nervous was the 
consequence of his long cruel treatment from many causes and 
many men, acting on such a finely-strung temperament as could 
only have produced the " Jerusalem Delivered." It was the 
business of the venal Serrasi — the tool of the Estes, and who, as 
has been pointed out by my old school-fellow, Jeremiah Wiffen, 
the elegant translator of the " Jerusalem," dedicated his work 
to that Maria Beatrice D'Este who would not even permit the 
name of Tasso to remain attached to an opera of his performed 
before her, but obliged the manager to substitute for it that of 
Lope de Vega! — it was his business to endeavor to perpetuate 
the stigma of insanity which the little despot of Ferrara had 
stamped on him. Manso, and later Italian biographers — in Eng- 
land, Milman and Wiffen — have sufficiently exposed the base 
endeavor. 

In his "Ambassador," Tasso introduces a dialogue betwixt 
himself and a spirit, which, however, he represents as merely 
imagined; but in his cell at Santa Anna he assures us that he 
was visited, pestered and plundered by mischievous spirits and 
especially by one that he calls Folletto or Sprite. That he was 
robbed by his keepers, in his absence from his room, he also tells 
us ; but he makes as positive statement that he was robbed by 
the spirits when he was present. Flames, he says, wreathed and 
twined themselves across the walls of his prison; sparks of fire 
seemed to flash from his own eyes ; shadowy forms of rats and 
other obscure animals glided over the vault of his room where 



402 Book of Knowledge. 

they could not possibly be. Strange noises, whistlings, ringing 
and tolling of bells and striking of clocks, beset him. Horses 
trampled on him, monsters butted him in his bed. All these things 
were, of course, set down to his frenzy, but were no doubt, the 
result of his having, by his tortures of mind from his scandalous 
treatment, been raised into the condition in which the spirit puts 
forth its powers energumenically, and takes hold on the spiritual 
world, and comes into startling rapport with it. His letters and 
gloves and money were drawn out of locked boxes when no one 
was there but himself and flung about the place. To secure his 
money he sent it out of the prison to a friend. His books were 
flung down from the shelves, a loaf was snatched out of his own 
hands, and a plate of fruit, which he was offering to a Polish 
youth. " God knows," he says, that I am neither a magician nor 
a Lutheran, that I never read heretical books, nor those which 
treat of necromancy, nor any prohibited art; yet I can neither 
defend myself from thievish men when I am absent, nor the devil 
when I am present. To comfort him, however, he says that he 
had a vision of the Blessed Virgin; and that when he was so 
reduced by illness that he could not bear medicine any longer, 
he prayed most fervently to her, and was instantly cured. He 
has recorded this miraculous cure in a sonnet, commencing, 
" Egro lo, languina, e d'alto avinta." 

After his release from the madhouse, and when living with 
Manso at his country estate near Bisaccio, he joined in all the 
sports and pursuits of those around him. Manso, in a letter, 
says : " The Signior Torquato is become a mighty hunter, and 
triumphs over all the asperity of the season and of the country. 
When the days are bad, we spend them and the long hours of 
evening, in hearing music and songs; for one of his principal 
enjoyments is to listen to the improvvissatori, whose facility for 
versification he envies. Sometimes, too, we dance with the girls 
here, a thing which affords him much pleasure; but we chiefly 
sit conversing by the fire and often we have fallen into discourse 
of that spirit which, he says, appears to him." 

Whether grave or gay this spirit often came to him and he 
often held long discourses with it. Manso endeavored to per- 
suade him that it was a fancy ; but Tasso maintained that it was 



A Chapter of Poets. 403 

as real as themselves, a Christian spirit, and which Manso admits 
gave him great comfort and consolation. Tasso, to convince 
Manso of the reality of this spirit, begged him to be present at 
an interview. Manso says that he saw Tasso address himself 
to some invisible object, listen in return, and then reply to what 
it appeared to have said. He says that the discourses of Tasso 
" were so lofty and marvellous, both by the sublimity of their 
topics and a certain unwonted manner of talking, that, exalted 
above myself into a certain kind of ecstacy, I did not dare to in- 
terrupt them." Tasso was disappointed, however, that Manso 
did not see or hear the spirit — which he ought not to have been, 
after what he himself tells us, that to see spirits the human eye 
must be purified, or the spirits must array themselves in matter. 
This is the present acknowledged law in such cases of appari- 
tions. They who see them must be mediums — that is, have their 
spiritual eyes open — or the spirits must envelop themselves in 
matter obvious to the outer eye. Tasso did not recollect that 
Manso might not be in the clairvoyant condition in which he him- 
self was; and Manso, wholly ignorant of these psychological 
laws, could only suppose Tasso dealing with a subjective idea. 
Yet Manso evidently felt the presence of the spirit, for he was 
raised by it " into a kind of ecstasy," and he confesses that 
Tasso's spiritual interviews " were more likely to affect his own 
mind than that he should dissipate Tasso's true or imaginary 
opinion." 

To the tens of thousands of to-day who have practically 
studied these phases of psychology, the whole of Tasso's ex- 
perience is simple and agreeable to familiar fact, and places the 
great poet in the numerous class of those who have been treated 
as visionaries, because they really were more clear-sighted and 
more matter-of-fact than their horny-eyed neighbors. Perhaps 
Tasso himself did not comprehend the real condition of those 
improvvissatori, at whose facility of poetic declamation he so 
much wondered. Improvisation is but one mode of mediumship. 
This class of extempore poets, who at a moment break forth into 
very sublime and wonderful strains, are frequently noted in their 
ordinary moods for their dull and commonplace minds. They are 
but the flutes and trumpets through which spiritual poets pour 
the music and eloquence of other spheres for the occasion. 



404 Book of Knowledge. 

Turning to our own poets, we might collect evidences from 
Chaucer to Shakespeare; but in Milton we come on an avowal 
that has been a thousand times quoted, of the millions of spiritual 
beings that walk the earth both when we wake and when we sleep. 
In his " Paradise Lost," he teaches doctrines since taught by 
Swedenborg, and now accepted by thousands — of the soul grow- 
ing so gross in the indulgence of sensual tastes in this life that 
it cannot well rise from it. He thinks that a period may arrive 
when men, by growing spiritual purity, may refine the body al- 
most wholly away. Raphael speaks: 

" Time may come when man 
With angels may participate, and find 
No inconvenient diet, nor too light fare; 
And from these corporal nutriments, perhaps, 
Your bodies may at last turn all to spirit, 
Improved by tract of time, and winged, ascend 
Ethereal as we; or may, at choice, 
Here or in heavenly paradises dwell." 

Through long ages, however, a different condition was to 
follow the fall : 

" But when lust, 
By unchaste looks, loose gestures, and foul talk 
But most by lewd and lavish act of sin, 
Lets in defilement to the inward parts, 
That soul grows clotted by contagion; 
Imbodies and imbrutes till she quite lose 
The divine property of her first being. 
Such are those thick and gloomy shadows damp, 
Or seen in charnel vaults and sepulchres: 
Lingering and sitting by a new-made grave, 
As loth to leave the body that it loved, 
And linked itself by carnal sensuality 
To a degenerate and degraded state." 

In his prose Milton holds the same language. They are not 
the Muses, he says, but the " Eternal Spirit, which assists with 



A Chapter of Poets. 4°5 

all utterance and knowledge, and sends out his Seraphim with 
the hallowed fire of his altar to touch and purify the lips of 
whom he pleases." 

I must leave to some other hand to collect from the long 
line of our religious poets, Quarles, Herrick, Herbert, Cowper, 
Keble, as well as from Tennyson, Mrs. Browning, Philip Bailey 
and others the numerous Spiritualisms that are scattered 
through their works. There are abundance of such in Young's 
" Night Thoughts." We may take one : 

" Smitten friends 
Are angels sent as messengers of love; 
For us they languish, and for us they die: 
And shall they languish, shall they die in vain? 
Ungrateful, shall we grieve their hovering shades 
Which wait the revolution in our hearts? 
Shall we disdain their silent, soft address — 
Their posthumous advice and pious prayer ? " 

From the many like admissions in Mrs. Hemans take also 
one: 

" Hast thou been told that from the viewless bourne 
The dark way never hath allowed return? 
That all which tears can move with life is fled — 
That earthly love is powerless on the dead? 
Believe it not." 

I have already quoted the candid avowal of Southey, of his 
belief in ghosts ; the evidences of the Spiritualism of Byron and 
Shelley; and as to Coleridge, though in one place he says he 
has seen too many ghosts to believe in them, in another we 
find him gravely telling a ghost story in 'his " Table Talk," 
which is given in the second volume of the Spiritual Magazine, 
p. 229. As for their contemporary, Rogers, he pronounces 
Spiritualism " a new mode of sense," " that mysterious guide," 

"That oracle to man in mercy given, 
Whose voice is truth, whose wisdom is from heaven." 
Roger's Poems, "The Voyage of Columbus." 



406 Book of Knowledge. 

Sir Walter Scott, independent of his large use of apparition 
lore in both his prose and poetry, condemns the narrow preju- 
dice which cannot accept it. He says, " We talk of a credulous 
vulgar without recollecting that there is a vulgar incredulity, 
whic'h, in historical matters as well as in those of religion, finds 
it easier to doubt than to examine ; and endeavors to assume 
the credit of an esprit fort by decrying whatever happens to be 
beyond the very limited comprehension of the skeptic." (In- 
troduction to "The Fair Maid of Perth.") 

In the opening chapter of this work I gave some specimens 
of the Spiritualism of Wordsworth; and as his inculcations of 
it are both bold and extraordinary, I close this chapter with 
him. 

He opens the third part of " Peter Bell " with these remark- 
able stanzas: 

" I've heard of one, a gentle soul, 
Though given to sadness and to gloom, 
And for the fact will vouch. One night 
It chanced that by a taper's light 
This man was reading in his room: 

Bending as you or I might bend 
At night o'er any pious book, 
When sudden blackness overspread 
The snow-white page on which he read, 
And made the good man round him look. 

The chamber walls were dark all round, 

And to his book he turned again ; 

The light had left the good man's taper, 

And formed itself upon the paper 

Into large letters, bright and plain! 

The godly book was in his hand, 

And on the page, more black than coal, 

Appeared, set forth in strange array, 



A Chapter of Poets. 407 

A word — which to his dying day 
Perplexed the good man's gentle soul. 

The ghostly word, full plainly seen, 
Did never from his lips depart; 
But he hath said, poor gentle wight ! 
It brought full many a sin to light 
Out of the bottom of his heart. 

Dread spirits ! To torment the good 
Why wander from your course so far, 
Disordering color, form and stature ! 
Let good men feel the soul of nature, 
And see things as they are. 

I know you, potent spirits, well, 
How, with the feeling and the sense 
Playing, ye govern foes and friends, 
Yoked to your will for fearful ends — 
And this I speak in reverence! 

But might I give advice to you, 
Whom in my fear I love so well, 
From men of pensive virtue go, 
Dread beings; and your empire show 
On hearts like that of Peter Bell. 

Your presence I have often felt 

In darkness and the stormy night; 

And well I know, if need there be, 

Ye can put forth your agency 

When earth is calm and heaven is bright. 

Then coming from the wayward world, 
That powerful world in which ye dwell, 
Come spirits of the mind! and try 
To-night, beneath the moonlight sky, 
What may be done with Peter Bell." 



408 Book of Knowledge. 

He adds : 

" There was a time when all mankind 
Did listen with a faith sincere 
To tuneful tongues in mystery versed." 

In his "Ecclesiastical Sketches," Sonnet xviii, he says: 

" Death, darkness, danger are our natural lot, 
And evil spirits may our walk attend 
For aught the wisest know, or comprehend. 
Then be good spirits, free to breathe a note 
Of elevation; let their odors float 
Around these converts : and their glories blend, 
Outs'hining nightly tapers, or the blaze 
Of the noonday. Nor doubt that golden cords 
Of good works, mingling with the visions, raise 
The soul to purer worlds." 

What Wordsworth taught in song he asserted also in actual 
life. Mr. and Mrs. Wordsworth, returning once from Cam- 
bridge where they had been paying a visit to the poet's brother, 
Dr. Wordsworth, Master of Trinity College, related to us this 
occurrence. A young man having just come to enter himself 
a student at Trinity, brought a letter of introduction to Dr. 
Wordsworth, and on presenting it, asked if the master could 
recommend to him comfortable chambers. Dr. Wordsworth 
mentioned to him some then vacant and the young man took 
them. In a few days, seeing him, Dr. Wordsworth asked him 
how he liked them. He replied that the chambers themselves 
were very convenient, but that he should be obliged to leave 
them. Dr. Wordsworth asking for what reason, the young 
man replied that he might think him fanciful, but the rooms 
were haunted. That he had been awakened each night by a child 
that wandered about the rooms moaning, and strange to say, 
with the palms of its hands turned outwards. That he had 
searched his rooms, found them on each occasion securely 
locked, and that nothing but an apparition could thus traverse 
them. Dr. Wordsworth said, he would now be candid with 



A Chapter of Poets. 409 

him; that these rooms had been repeatedly abandoned by 
students who asserted the same thing, but having perfect re- 
liance on his veracity and judgment from what he had heard 
of him, he was desirous to see whether he would confirm the 
story, having had no intimation of it beforehand. I relate the 
account from memory after the lapse of a good many years, 
but I believe it to be substantially correct. Whether the young 
man thanked the doctor for his recommendation of such lodg- 
ings does not appear. 



CHAPTER XV. 
SWEDENBORG'S SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT. 

BY WILLIAM HOWITT. 

Swedenborg was born at Stockholm, in Sweden, being the 
second son of Dr. Jasper Swedberg, Bishop of Skara, who was 
a voluminous author on various subjects, and a man of great 
talent and influence, descending from a mining family of the 
Stora Kopparberg, or great copper mountain. His mother 
was also the daughter of Albrecht Behm, the Assessor of the 
Royal Board of Mines. Thus he was born and brought up 
amongst mining affairs, and he himself in after years became 
also Royal Assessor of Mines. He altered his name from 
Swedberg to Swedenborg, as Burns, the poet, altered his name 
from Burness. He was very completely educated at the Great 
University at Upsala; and he became so intimate with the 
Latin language that he wrote all his works in it. He accom- 
plished himself by extensive travel, and everywhere made 
acquaintances with celebrated men, especially those distin- 
guished in mathematics, astronomy and mechanics. Charles 
XII appointed him Extraordinary Assessor of Mines. He 
went on writing numerous works on science and the arts. On 
" Algebra," the " Decimal System " ; on the " Motion and Posi- 
tion of the Earth and Planets " ; on " Docks, Sluices and Salt 
Works " ; on the " Principles of Natural Philosophy " ; " The 
Principia, First Principles of Natural Things," which, in fact, 
had no less design than to trace out a true system of the world. 
Next followed " Outlines of a Philosophical Argument on the 
Infinite " ; " Dissertations on the Nervous Fibre and the Nerv- 
ous Fluid," then a great work on the " Economy of the Animal 
Kingdom." He then set about to study anatomy and the 
whole system of the human frame. 

But this was only as an introduction and qualification for 



Swedenborg's Spiritual Development. 411 

the object of investigating the soul. Having done this, he 
wrote a work on the " Worship and Love of God," as the result 
of his studies, and the completion of his other works. The 
second part of this included an inquiry into the nature of the 
soul and the intellect ; but, here, when he seemed to think this 
portion of his work concluded, he found that he was only be- 
ginning. All his labors and inquiries had been tending to a 
development of which he had no intimation. Suddenly, whilst 
he was in London engaged in the publication of this work he 
had a vision of the Lord, and his eyes were opened to see into 
the spiritual world. This he says occurred in 1743; conse- 
quently, when he was fifty-five years of age. He had devoted 
himself to writing on the natural sciences, he says, about thirty 
years ; and from this time he gave them all up, and devoted 
himself to supernatural inquiry, and the explanation of the 
Scriptures, through these, for nearly thirty years more, or until 
the age of eighty-four. He says at this time " God opened my 
sight to the view of the spiritual world, and granted me the 
privilege of conversing with spirits and angels." The Lord, 
he was informed, had prepared him for elucidating the spiritual 
sense of the word. For many years before his mind was thus 
opened, and he was enabled to speak with spirits, he had 
dreams informing 'him of the subjects on which he was writing, 
and a peculiar light in the writings. Afterwards, many visions 
when his eyes were shut; light miraculously given, spirits in- 
fluencing him sensibly as if they appealed to the bodily sense, 
temptations from evil spirits almost overwhelming him with 
horror, fiery lights, words spoken in early morning, and many 
similar events (" Diary," 2951). He says that an inward spirit- 
ual breathing was opened up to him, and his spirit breathed the 
divine atmosphere directly from the Holy Spirit. This he con- 
siders as essential to a perfectly spiritual state, and to occur in 
all apostles and holy persons who live and act under immediate 
inspiration. We have seen that persons in the old pagan world 
occasionally entered the spirit-world, as Epimenides and Her- 
motimus, who, returning, related what they had seen; but Swe- 
denborg's condition was different and superior to theirs. During 
the absence of their spirits, their bodies lay as dead, but Swe- 



4 i2 Book of Knowledge. 

denborg could enter the spirit-world, yet appear to be present 
and acting in this. He did not, however, arrive at the perfect 
enjoyment of these two states, and the power of voluntarily 
passing from one to the other for some time. He now poured 
forth rapidly, considering the colossal nature of the works 
themselves, his spiritual productions. First came his " Ar- 
cana Coelestia," or exposition of the spiritual sense of the 
books of Genesis and Exodus. This consisted of eight vol- 
umes quarto. Then followed a whole library of volumes, the 
chief among which are the " Last Judgment and Destruction of 
Babylon " ; " Heaven and Hell " ; the " White Horse of the 
Apocalypse " ; the " Planets of the Solar System and their In- 
habitants "; the " New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine "; 
several other volumes on the " New Jerusalem " ; on the 
" Divine Love and Divine Wisdom" ; " Concerning Conjugal 
Love," etc., on the " Intercourse between the Soul and the 
Body " ; the " Apocalypse Revealed, and the Apocalypse Ex- 
plained " ; the " True Christian Religion," etc. In these spirit- 
ual works he frequently announces great scientific truths which 
are now, from time to time, proving themselves such. It is 
now regarded as a surprising discovery of Professors Kirchoff 
and Bunsen, that they have found iron to exist in the body of 
the sun, by tracing its effects to the solar rays. That this was a 
fact Swedenborg asserted a century ago. The scientific men 
are continually asking for the Spiritualists to announce before- 
hand unknown natural facts. This is one instance out of many 
in which Swedenborg, Anaxagoras announced that the sun 
was a great mass of mineral. 

Many of these works have been translated into French and 
German, as well as into English, which latter are published by 
the Swedenborgian Society. They may be read and they are 
now extensively read, and their truths taught, as I have said, 
by men who are little suspected of it. The pulpits of both 
Church and Dissent are invaded by Swedenborg. There are 
also excellent and concise lives of him in English by Dr. Wil- 
kinson and Mr. William White. I shall conclude by quoting 
a passage or two from the former. " A visitant of the spirit- 
ual world, Swedenborg has described it in lively colors, and it 



Swedenborgs Spiritual Development. 413 

would appear it is not at all like what modern ages would have 
deemed. According to some, it is a speck of abstraction, in- 
tense with saving faith and other things of terms. Only a few 
of the oldest poets — always excepting the Bible — have shad- 
owed it forth with any degree of reality, as spacious of man- 
kind. There Swedenborg is at one with them, only that he is 
more sublimely homely regarding our future dwelling place. 
The spiritual world is the same old world of God in a higher 
sphere. Hill and valley, plain and mountain, are as apparent 
there as here. The evident difference lies in the multiplicity 
and perfection of objects. The spiritual world is essential 
nature and spirit besides. Its inhabitants are men and women, 
and their circumstances are societies, houses and lands, and 
whatever belongs thereto. The commonplace foundation 
needs no moving to support the things which eye hath not 
seen, nor ear heard, nor heart of man conceived. . . . 
Stone and wood, bird and animal, sea and sky, are acquaint- 
ances which we meet with in the spiritual sphere, in our latest 
manhood or angelhood, equally, as in the dawn of the senses, 
before the grave is gained " (p. 96). 

Again, " Our crotchet of the abstract nobleness of spirits 
receives there a rude shock. Our fathers' souls are no better 
than ourselves ; no less mean and no less bodily, and their 
occupations are often more unworthy than our own. A large 
part of their doings read like police reports. Even the angels 
are but good men in a favoring sphere; we may not worship 
them, for they do not deserve it; at best they are of our 
brethren the prophets. It is very matter-of-fact; death is no 
change of substantials. The same problems occur after it, 
and man is left to solve them. Nothing but goodness and 
truth are thriving. There is no rest beyond the tomb, but in 
the peace of God which was rest before it." 

Spiritualism uniformly confirms these views, especially of 
the intermediate regions. And also that " the earthly soul 
clings to the ground and gravitated earthward dragging the 
chain of impure affections contracted in the world; spirits 
haunt their old remembered places attached by undying ideas. 
Hatred and revenge, pride and lust, persist in their cancerous 



414 Book of Knowledge. 

spreading, and wear away incurable heart-strings. Infidelity 
denies God most in spirit and the spiritual world; nay, staked 
on death, it ignores eternity in the eternal state with gnashing 
teeth and hideous clenches, and the proof of spirit and im- 
mortal life is farther off than ever." An awful lesson! On 
the other hand, in the better regions, " noble offices are a sign 
to finite things, as of attending the birth of the newly dead into 
the spiritual state, of educated departed infants and simple 
spirits, of governing sleep and infusing dreams and of indefinite 
other things besides, which constitute a department of the 
duties of the human race translated into the sp'here of spiritual 
industry. For heaven is the grand workman; the moments of 
the eternal Sabbath are strokes of deeds, and the more of these 
can be given to be done by men and angels, the more is the 
creation real, because cooperating with God. 

A serious truth is stated by Swedenborg in his " Diary " ; 
namely, that " all confirmations in matters pertaining to theol- 
ogy are, as it were, glued fast into the brains and can with 
difficulty be removed; and, while they remain, genuine truths 
can find no place. This is what I have so often noticed in this 
work — the difficulty of erasing educational dogmas and modes 
of thinking, however erroneous. He also states the great fact 
so constantly shown by Spiritualism, that in spiritual inter- 
course like seeks like and the spiritual condition of a man may 
be known by the spirits which seek through him — that is, habit- 
ually; for bad spirits will seek to deceive and confound the 
good, too, and more especially in their first entrance into spirit- 
ual conditions, in order to drive them out of them. These are 
repelled by faith and prayer. As to the seeing and communing 
with spirits, Swedenborg says it is a natural condition of man 
which has been lost only by his gross and degraded state. The 
review of the history of Swedenborg draws from his biographer 
remarks which thousands are now making: 

" Nothing is more evident to-day than that men of facts are 
afraid of a large number of important facts. All the spiritual 
facts, of which there are plenty in every age, are renounced as 
superstitions. The best attested spirit stories are not well 
received by that scientific courtesy which takes off its grey cap 



Swedenborg's Spiritual Development. 415 

to a new beetle or fresh vegetable alkaloid. Large-wigged 
science behaves worse to our ancestors than to our vermin. 
Evidence on spiritual subjects is regarded as impertinence by 
the learned; so timorous are they, and so morbidly fearful of 
ghosts. If they were not afraid they would investigate; but 
nature is to them a churchyard in Which they must whistle their 
dry tunes to keep up their courage. They should come to 
Swedenborg who has made ghosts themselves a science. As 
the matter stands, we are bold to say that there is no class that 
so little follows its own rules of uncaring experiment and induc- 
tion, or has so little respect for facts as the hard-headed scien- 
tific men. They are attentive enough to a class of facts that 
nobody values — beetles, spiders and fossils ; but to those clear 
facts that common men and women, in all times and places, 
have found full of interest, wonder or importance they show 
them a deaf ear and a callous heart. Science in this neglects 
its mission, which is to give us in knowledge a transcript of the 
world, and primarily of that in the world which is nearest and 
dearest to the soul." 



CHAPTER XVI. 



A MESSAGE FROM LORD BACON. 

The following extract is taken from Spiritualism, by Judge 
John W. Edmonds and Geo. T. Dexter, M.D. : 

Monday, May 9, 1853. 

This evening, at my library, I read over to Dr. Dexter the 
minutes of last evening's interview, and it was written: 

" There is no state of existence, Judge, but has its better 
spirits above it. There is no mind so advanced and enlightened 
but there is a mind more developed, more progressed, to which 
the other will look with deference and respect. If this obtains 
on earth, how much more should this law exert its full influence 
among spirits ? It is a singular fact, in the progress of all things 
on earth, that the most inferior plant can, by cultivation, be 
made to manifest properties entirely distinct from the original, 
yet retain all the characteristic features of the germ. Now you 
take a peach, and in its original form it is almost worthless, 
yet by cultivation you develop the fruit to that degree of perfec- 
tion that of all the fruits of the earth it is most sought for and 
admired. These simple facts are pertinent illustrations of the 
great law which had its beginning with God, and will end only 
when the Creator is unable to execute the laws he has established. 

" Thus all progressed spirits have above them other spirits, 
who have passed through the death of the spheres, and therefore 
have become so much more ethereal and refined that those in the 
sphere below necessarily cannot see them. And though I pretend 
to a certain degree of advancement, yet there are conditions above 
my sphere where reside spirits whose bodies I cannot behold, only 
when my mind, like your own, is in such a state that they act upon 
it, as certain spirits did on yours by visions and imagery. 

" Your learned men ascribe the nucleus of all worlds to what 
they call gaseous bodies, or nuclei. Supposing this to be true, 



A Message from Lord Bacon. 417 

through what processes of growth and development they must 
have passed to have arrived at that stage or state where they 
have become fit habitations for men! 

" All species of the apple, it is said, are derived from the 
simple crab apple. And what variety, without number, you find 
in size, shape, coloring, taste and flavor! Now, this is eminently 
true with regard to man; and though I cannot say he was de- 
rived from one source or one being, yet your knowledge of the 
various races, species, genera, and orders must satisfy you that 
in every age of the world some new property has been developed 
in him, and this in proportion to his situation and connection, 
until at the present day, the race of men now moving and con- 
trolling the affairs of life have further advanced, and manifest 
more of the true characteristics of his proper nature, than all 
classes or nations who have preceded it. 

" There is a necessity for an advance toward perfection in 
everything created by God. Of what purpose was it that he 
created worlds, and filled them with intelligent beings, capable 
of understanding and learning from every manifestation of His 
power around them the effects which certain laws He has estab- 
lished have produced? Of what purpose was it that He should 
have created them if He had intended that they — man or men — 
should have remained in a state of abeyance? Of what use that 
the sprig should have been lopped off from the oak itself ? 

" God could just as well have created man without a soul as 
with an intelligent one ; and certainly it appears to me reasonable 
that in planting within his body a spirit susceptible, comprehen- 
sive, and intelligent, he intended that spirit should not be satis- 
fied till it had grasped everything within the scope of its faculties. 
There is one idea which has often occurred to me since I left 
the earth, and that is, that if it were not intended that both spirit 
and matter should progress, God would probably have created 
man with all the powers and faculties of his nature, ready de- 
veloped at his creation. For were it denied that the intention of 
his creation was his steady advancement, the mind, when it had 
mastered one position, would still have remained the same as 
before it recognized a new idea. There could not have been any 
appreciation of anything before it, and instead of knowledge 



4i 8 Book of Knowledge. 

enlarging its range of desire and thought, it would have left it 
in the same condition as it found it. What think you? On this 
great principle is based, as before stated, all the law and the 
spirits. 

" Now about ourselves. And though I talk to you, my friend, 
I want you to understand that I include the Doctor, in everything 
I say. Writing through him as a medium, I sometimes do not 
realize that he is present; but enough of that, too. 

" I feel that your thoughts have been occupied in digesting 
the great truths taught last night by Swedenborg. I am writing 
through the hand of Dr. Dexter; and to many persons, looking 
on and beholding the use of the same expressions as you adopt 
on earth, they would remark on its foolishness arid absurdity as 
a spirit manifestation. But look at the ideas we inculcate, regard 
the* thoughts we express ; and if in the whole history of written 
human thought there is anything that can approach it, either in 
the magnitude of the ideas or the profundity of the thoughts, 
then I am heartily willing it should be said to be a farce. 

" But when man, as have you, my friend, shall have looked 
into nature with eyes that do not blink at the dazzling gems she 
holds up before them; when man, like you, has from his inmost 
heart yearned for some rational explanation of the longing desire 
to understand your own immortality; and from the dark abyss 
beyond this life he shall have presented to his understanding 
the radiance, the glory, the unsurpassing loveliness of truth, and 
is willing to receive and adopt it, then shall old things indeed 
pass away, then shall shallow doubts give way to confirmation 
strong as the eternal principles of his own nature and in the 
ecstatic joy of a developed mind, he will find, as you have found, 
how great the joy of believing. 

Bacon." 

I remarked, that I was yesterday reading some of his essays 
written when in life, and I came across some which denounced 
the love between the sexes ; which said that no man could be 
great who had such love, and that great things had been done 
only by those men who had no wife or children. Now, I wanted 
to know if he entertained the same sentiments now? He wrote 
in answer: 



A Message from Lord Bacon. 419 

" Oh ! how little I understood the true character of the heart's 
affection! What a confined idea I had of the soul's capacity! 
But I am sure there is no man, no matter what his abilities — no 
matter how great the power of his mind — who can arrive at any 
eminence in the world you inhabit, excepting his heart is filled 
with love to all and everything created by God, and who is not 
capable of appreciating affection's response in every human heart. 

" The law of God's creation in all its workings is love ; and 
had it not been for your affection, your devoted love, you would 
have burrowed in the mire of your own natural desires, and never 
have arrived at the position you occupy. 

" Don't refer me to my earthly absurdities." 

I remaiked that there was another question I wished to ask: 
It was evident that he was a progressed spirit and from all the 
teachings it appeared that he could roam at pleasure amid scenes 
where all was joy and happiness. Yet it seemed that much of 
the time he was near <me, and of course on this earth, and affected 
by its sorrows and sufferings. Now what I wanted to know was, 
what good it did him to be near this earth? He answered in 
these words: 

" Judge Edmonds, that I am with you much, I have before 
told you. Why I am with you I have partially stated. I am as 
much interested in the advancement of your race, both on earth 
and in the spirit-land, as you are and have been in ameliorating 
the condition of one class of your unfortunate fellow-creatures. 
I am not exclusively reading your mind all the time I am with 
you; and being with you, is a comparative expression. To wish 
to be with you is to be there. To wish to be thousands of miles 
away, is to be there immediately the wish is formed. While with 
you I sometimes converse with spirits who accompany me, and 
who have, under my direction, charge of certain duties. At times, 
even in your library, I teach the high destinies of their nature to 
certain unprogressed spirits, whom I persuade to attend me there. 
At other times, I read and reflect, at others witnessing the work- 
ing of your mind. 

" Then, again, I listen to your conversation with your friends 
or visitors ; but the advanced spirits never witness any act of man 
which is improper to be noticed by any other person, that is, any 



420 Book of Knowledge. 

necessary or proper act of life. When you suffer we try to 
assuage. When you are tired we study to suggest a remedy; 
and when you are ill we call around you those in whom you have 
confidence, and they endeavor to relieve you by controlling your 
nervous system. The great object of progression is not confined 
to a locality or sphere, to a neighborhood or person. You are 
as much interested as we are; and when an idea is generated 
on earth which advances your material or spiritual condition in 
the least, we feel the influence of that progressive step, and are 
attracted to the source from which it emanates, and endeavor to 
make you feel the full effect of the influence, as we know you 
ought to appreciate it. I think your question is answered." 

I said, no, not entirely, and I was apprehensive that I had 
not worded it so as to convey the precise idea I intended. My 
object had been, not to inquire so much whether it afforded him 
pleasure, as it was to ascertain what good it did him, or what 
advantage it was to him thus to be near the earth. Thus, it had 
been said that my wife's progression had been advanced by her 
dealings with me, so what I wanted to know was, whether his 
progression was in like manner advanced by his connection with 
earth ? 

" In brief, yes. Every act that man or spirit accomplishes 
for good, is just so far a step forward in the development of his 
nature. Your wife, in accomplishing what she has done, found 
her reward in the increased flow of all those affections which con- 
tribute to the elevation of her character. 

" Besides, in directing your mind to the anxious inquiry after 
the truth of spirit-intercourse, she developed traits in your mind 
which had slumbered there since first it was exercised by thought ; 
and as this was generating an idea for good, she, as the instru- 
ment, felt the revivifying effect of that act. No man does a good 
act but his nature is bettered ; and it is the property of goodness 
that it never loses anything by cultivation. It has a reciprocal 
effect. She has had her reward. I, too, shall have my reward; 
but my labors are not yet done. 

Bacon." 



CHAPTER XVII. 

GLEANINGS FROM LIFE AND THE NEW TESTA- 
MENT. 

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock 
and it shall be opened unto you. St. Matthew, Chap. VII, 7. 

So spoke Jesus in His sermon on the Mount and how true. 
So many of the people ask me, " why do / not get some mes- 
sage from those who have passed away?" Dear reader, let me 
answer you. Give your dear ones who have passed to the higher 
life an opportunity to come to you and see how gladly they will 
grasp it. " For when two or three are gathered together in My 
name, there am I in the midst of them." St. Matthew XVIII, 20. 
Do you understand the meaning of the above chapter, dear 
reader ? If not, just let us explain it in our way. " When two 
or three are gathered together in My name," means a seance, a 
spiritual communication, speaking with the angels^-opening up 
the avenues between the two worlds — the mortal and the im- 
mortal. Every family in the universe, if they only knew it, have 
a medium in their own homes. " For I will give you a mouth 
and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to gain- 
say nor resist." St. Luke XXI, 15. When you begin to investi- 
gate this, you will find that God intended that every man and 
woman should be a temple in their own homes. " Know ye not 
that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth 
in you ? " 1 Corinthians III, 17. Take an hour every day, only 
one hour out of twenty-four, and let your soul speak with God 
and the angels, your loved ones, offering up a prayer for the 
" Holiest of the Holy " to come to you. " And all things what- 
soever ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." St. Matthew 
XXI, 22. Praying from the soul, not from the lips ; praying for 
strength to do your duty, in whatever vocation or position you 



422 Book of Knowledge. 

may be, asking for power to be sent you to make you better, and 
to bring you and your loved ones health and happiness; asking 
to take the selfishness out of you ; giving power to help those in 
need ; by doing so you will lessen your body and enlarge your soul. 
You know there comes a time in every man and woman's life, 
when they will sum up the past and see what good they have 
done, and if they are leaving the world better because they lived 
in it. If you do this, then you will realize the power of God. 
" For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is noth- 
ing, he deceiveth himself." Galatians VI, 3. " But let every man 
prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself 
alone, and not in another.' 5 Galatians VI, 4. " For every man 
shall bear his own burden." Galatians VI, 5. 

Go into your closet and meet with your family for an hour 
in this spirit, for one, two, or three months, and it would not be 
long before you would know of this life and the life hereafter. 
In asking the angels to come into our homes, it is best always 
to keep in mind that the purer and better you keep your thoughts, 
bodies and homes, the more pleased the " God Power " and your 
loved ones will be to come to you. How much more in this life 
we enjoy being invited to a friend's home, if we find it in readi- 
ness, showing that they appreciated our coming. How much 
more particular we should be when we ask the Holy Power and 
our angel loved ones to descend from their pure homes to come 
to us. We would feel, I know, that not only our homes and bodies 
should be clean, but our souls also. Now in making preparation 
for our loved ones, the room you would invite them into should 
be kept in total darkness. " What I tell you in darkness, that 
speak ye in light; and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye 
upon the housetop." St. Matthew X, 27. 

Now comes the inquiry, why do you have to sit in the dark? 
Because everything in nature is developed in the dark, before it 
is permitted by the God Power to come into light. The coal, all 
minerals, gold and silver, all vegetation, our trees that bear such 
luscious fruit are in the earth to develop. There is nothing in 
nature but must be in darkness a certain length of time before it 
comes into light. We ourselves are in darkness nine months be- 
fore we are permitted to see the light. Then why should it be 



Gleanings from Life and the New Testament. 423 

questioned when we are asked by the angels to darken a room, so 
they can come and develop our spiritual gifts? 

"But the manifestation of the Spirit' is given to every man, 
to profit withal." 1 Cor. 12, 7. " For to one is given the word 
of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge, by the same 
Spirit." I Cor. XII, 8. " To another faith by the same Spirit, 
to another the gift of healing by the same Spirit." 1 Cor. XII, 9. 
" To another the working of miracles ; to another prophecy ; to 
another discerning of Spirits ; to another divers kinds of tongues ; 
to another the interpretation of tongues." 1 Cor. XII, 10. So, 
dear reader, if you will read the New Testament understandingly, 
you will find Christ's teachings all spiritual laws. " The same 
came to Jesus by night and said unto Him, ' Rabbi, we know that 
thou art a teacher from God, for no man can do these miracles 
that thou doest, except God be with him.' " St. John III, 2. 

So many people whom I have associated with in my work of 
healing the sick have ridiculed our methods; that is, not they, 
but their friends have criticized it to such an extent that the 
patient would be ready to discontinue treatment. Had the friends 
read their Bibles right, they would have found that was one of 
the principal laws laid down by Christ. All the ridicule and all 
disagreeable things only drew me that much closer to the beloved 
God-Power. " Ye shall be hated by all men for my name's sake." 
St. Luke XXI, 17. " But there shall not a hair of your head 
perish." St. Luke XXI, 18. 

But when you come into the light, the spiritual laws, and hear 
the divine messages from your loved ones who have passed on 
to the higher life; when your eyes shall receive the power to 
discern your loved ones ; when your ears shall be opened to hear 
their dear voices, then you will realize that the kingdom of God 
has indeed come. " But blessed are your eyes for they see : and 
your ears for they hear." St. Matthew XIII, 16. 

Hold sacred all signs from the higher life, whether it comes 
in a tiny rap or vision. It all comes from the living God. " For 
we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth." 2 Cor. 
XIII, 8. So, dear readers, if your relatives or friends ridicule 
you for opening up new avenues to the higher life, remember, 
" A prophet is not without honor save in his own country and in 



424 Book of Knowledge. 

his own house." St. Matthew XIII, 57. Dear friends, I have 
passed through all the scorn and ridicule ; I have been in the fiery 
furnace ("Every man's work shall be made manifest; for the 
day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the 
fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." 1 Cor. Ill, 
13.) but to-day I thank God and my holy loved ones in the life 
beyond that I was selected as one of the disciples to heal the sick 
and preach the kingdom of God; and if any of you are chosen 
to do God's bidding, do it to the best of your ability, and the 
angels will walk by your side. I know it is ignorance that makes 
any one doubt the God Power, but look at nature and we all 
must admit that there is a Master that leadeth us all, and we 
cannot ignore it. 

Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; 
and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory, was not 
arrayed like one of these. St. Luke XII, 27. 



A NEW BIRTH. ^ 

Except a man be born again. John III, 3. 

Of course we can be born again and there is no mystery 
about it. Christ did not use any figure of speech but stated a 
literal fact. A man is not responsible for his first birth, but his 
second birth is under his personal control, and during the pr@cess 
he can make himself what he most desires to be. 

We are, when we come into the world, a good deal like a 
section of aboriginal forest. There are noble and stately trees 
but they are smothered in underbrush which keeps the sun from 
their roots and steals their nourishment. This underbrush must 
all be cut away, for it is a positive injury and disfigurement, and 
some of the trees which interfere with the general growth must 
be relentlessly felled. If the owner wants the best possible timber 
he will use the knife and the axe very freely, for nature has a 
weak side and is apt to produce more than is necessary, and some 
things that are not needed at all. 

After his first birth, a man resembles that forest in its original 
state. He is conscious of underbrush, qualities of character, 



Gleanings from Life and the New Testament. 425 

which choke his higher ambitions. There is too much of him, 
and he therefore, needs to get rid of some things in order that 
other things may have a chance to grow. There are tendencies, 
impulses, passions, envyings, which require a sharp knife, or, 
better still, to be wholly uprooted. 

In a word a man ought to be able to look at himself critically, 
find out what he has to do in this short life and what tools he 
has to work with in order to accomplish that work. That he 
can throw a good part of himself away as worthless — the more 
the better sometimes — and he can apply a stimulant to his finer 
qualities and so change that he will hardly know himself. He 
will alter the whole complexion of his nature and become as 
different from his former self as though he had returned to his 
mother's womb and been born again under more favoring cir- 
cumstances. 

When Christ announced the need of a second birth, to be 
accomplished in partnership with God, He gave us a hint of the 
grandeur of human nature. Under the inspiration of that com- 
mand to achieve a new birth, He announced our ability to make 
ourselves little lower than the angels. It was as though he had 
said, " Fashion the highest possible ideal, an ideal which is ' per- 
fect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,' " then 
prune, cut, trim, tear up whatever elements of character impede 
your progress toward that ideal. The Father and all the angels, 
your loved ones in the higher life, will assist you in the task. By 
perseverance you shall outgrow your old self and at last become 
all you ever dreamed of being and more. 

There is no conception of our nature nobler, wider, or more 
encouraging than that you are master of your fate. You control 
your destiny. No king ever ruled his realm with a sway as un- 
disputed as you can rule yourself. You may not control outward 
circumstances, but you can bend them to the development of char- 
acter. See things in the right light and your life will be glad- 
dened. It is your mind that makes you small or large. It is 
your mind, your soul, that conquers even the body. If you are 
petulant or ill-tempered the physical lines in your face will show it. 
A dissipated life shows in the eyes and in the general expression* 
In the last analysis, holiness and beauty are cause and effect. A 



426 Book of Knowledge. 

sweet life, a kindly and charitable life, is just like a sculptor at 
work on a block of marble. It chisels the muscles, the furrows, 
into such a shape that all the world can look into your face and 
get a glimpse of the character behind it. 

Here is a whole domain of natural law as yet unexplored. 
Get your heart in the right place, open the door wide, not to let 
in the devils of impatience and worry across the threshold, but 
the angels of peace and repose, and faith, and you will find that 
you are going from one new birth to another ; that the sad prob- 
lems of affliction are slowly solving themselves; that your years 
and your experiences are lifting you into a higher and healthier 
atmosphere, and that God is a real, a friendly, an intimate and 
an omnipotent factor in your life. 

I say, therefore, be brave. You shall not be overcome but 
you shall be victor. With the treasury of the Government to 
draw upon, you can never be poor, and with the love and power 
of God within reach, you shall smile amid tears and see heaven 
when you stand on a grave. Take yourself in hand boldly. You 
know your weaknesses. Go into the forest with an axe and knife. 
Clear out the underbrush of unworthy motive. It can be done 
for you and God and the angel loved ones can do anything. 

You shall be a new man with a new earth under your feet 
and a new heaven overhead. There is no limit to the capacity 
of your nature to enlarge and ennoble itself. 

" When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you 
into all truth : for He shall not speak of Himself : but whatsoever 
He shall hear that shall He speak : and He will show you things 
to come." St. John XVI, 13. 



TRIBULATIONS. 

And He said unto them, " What manner of communications 
are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk and are sad? " 
St. Luke XXIV, 17. 

Perhaps the most serious question in connection with the spir- 
itual life is this: Why are there so many troubles and sorrows 
on the road to heaven? No thoughtful soul ever bowed under 



Gleanings from Life and the New Testament. 427 

an affliction without wondering why the Lord thought it best to 
make suffering so large a part of our experience. He could have 
arranged matters very differently if He had wished to do so, 
but He chose to have them as they are. There must therefore be 
a very important significance in our burden bearing, but what is 
it? We may be perfectly resigned to His will, and may believe 
without the shadow of a doubt, that wrenching griefs and heart 
struggles are all right, but we cannot suppress the query, " Why 
are they all right ? " 

To the mere on-looker from another planet the situation would 
be interesting and painful. He would see man wrestling with 
the most perverse circumstances and apparently conquered by 
them, and women weeping over sorrows too deep for sympathy 
to reach. To him this would be the oddest of all worlds admin- 
istered on a plan he might find it difficult to understand. But it 
seems to me possible to get a glimpse of the meaning of it all, to 
so far comprehend it that we are able to say, perhaps in feeble 
accents, " Thy will, not mine, be done." If it is possible to do that 
we shall be greatly comforted and our power of endurance will 
be largely increased. 

The golden key to the mystery is found in the apparently cruel 
statement made in the Book of Revelations : " As many as I love 
I rebuke and chasten." God is our Father, and if you are a parent 
you will readily see what is meant. If you are indifferent to the 
welfare of your children, caring more for your own pleasure 
than for their good, you will allow them a very large license, let 
them go their own way, even though it be the wrong way. 

But if you have the true parental heart and wish to insure 
for the dear ones that integrity and sturdiness which are neces- 
sary to a noble character you will not only watch over them with 
solicitude during the formative period, but you will rebuke them, 
and even sternly deny them certain undesirable gratifications. 
You chasten them in order to make them chaste or pure, for that 
is the meaning of the word. To chasten is to purify by disci- 
pline. If it be true that to be pure or perfect is the chief end to 
be sought, and if it be true that if left to our impulses or pas- 
sions we should never become pure, but by discipline we may be- 
come so, then God would either cease to love us or else cease 



428 Book of Knowledge. 

to be good unless He allotted such pains and griefs as would 
make the soul stronger by its endurance of them : It may seem 
a strange thing to say, but it is true, that God would not be a 
father if He failed in that sharp discipline which in this life causes 
regret, but will sometime prove itself to have been a blessing 
in disguise. 

I suppose that a bar of gold which is placed in the smelting 
pot may be very unhappy for a time. It does not know very 
much about the worthless and debasing alloy which is mingled 
with its very substance, and it therefore cries out against the 
cruelty of the fire which heats it to the melting point. But the 
goldsmith loves his gold too much to heed its cries. The fire is 
the chastening element, and he plies the bellows with a rugged 
strength. But when the end comes and the pure metal has been 
separated from the alloy, will it not be seen that a hot fire, a con- 
suming flame, is proof of the goldsmith's skill and wisdom and 
love? 

If the ingot of gold, not quite understanding the process of 
purification, could have had perfect faith in the goldsmith, it 
would have suffered less during the ordeal of fire. 

In like manner, if we could believe that our sufferings have a 
grand mission to achieve, that they are under the guiding hand 
of the Master of our souls, it would largely alter our attitude 
toward them and also toward Him who has ordained them. To 
weep without hope or trust is to break your heart. Even though 
you cannot see the meaning of a grief, if you believe there is 
one and that He and our dear ones see it, you can summon your 
best strength and you can be brave. But what of that man who 
neither sees any light in the darkness nor believes that there is 
any? 

A tempest with home in sight is one thing; a tempest with 
no resting place to look forward to — could any fate be harder 
than that, or any condition more pitiful? 

Whatever else may be said of our religion this one thing at 
least is true — that it gives good cheer when good cheer is needed. 
" Not my will, but thine, be done." He went from under the 
overhanging clouds to the better land, and if we will only open 
up our souls to God and our angel loved ones, we may be able 



Gleanings from Life and the New Testament. 429 

to hear Him say, " Let not your heart be troubled. I go to pre- 
pare a place for you." St. John XIV, 2. 



THE MAN WITHIN. 
Thy soul shall be required of thee. St. Luke XII, 20. 

It is the man within the man who excites our wonder. He 
is there, but you cannot see him. He is not discovered by the 
scalpel of the surgeon, who lays bare every hiding-place in the 
body, but still he is there. I have loved my friend these many 
years, have walked by his side summer and winter, have wept 
and laughed with him, but I shall never see him until he and I 
move out of our bodies, and spirit looks into the face of spirit. 
This inner man may be closely related to the body, but the two 
are not the same. They are at once independent and inter- 
dependent. I have noticed that when the outer man is out of 
order the inner man is hampered in consequence — when the 
strings of a violin are not properly tuned, the player produces 
only discord. The player and the violin are dependent on 
each other, and neither can make music without the other, but 
the player and the violin are not one and the same. 

When the man within the man is displeased or angered, the 
blood of the body rushes to the face or retreats from the face. 
It is not necessary for the lips to tell me what is happening in 
the inner depths where feeling resides, for it is all seen in the 
countenance, just as the landscape is painted on the canvas by 
the artist. But the canvas and the artist are not one and the 
same. That mysterious something which we call " expres- 
sion " is simply an outward advertisement of the internal emo- 
tion; it is the spirit shining through the body, as a light inside 
the lantern shines through a red glass ; but the face that wears 
the expression and the soul that makes it are not one and the 
same. This action of the body and soul on each other has 
led some to the conclusion that they can never part company, 
but at death suffer the same fate. I cannot see, however, why 
it is impossible for a man who lives in a house until it is so old 
that it crumbles, to walk out of it when the time is ripe, with 



43 o Book of Knowledge. 

all his belongings, and enter and occupy another house. He 
or she may love the home which they enjoyed and in which they 
suffered, and it may, indeed, seem to be a part of himself. His 
life under its roof is crowned with so many associations that he 
weeps at the thought of leaving it, and feels that he may never 
find another abode as congenial and convenient, but when the 
necessity arises, he can step across the threshold and go where 
destiny leads. 

Now this soul — what is it? I wonder if I shall be misunder- 
stood if I say that it is a detached portion of Him whom I wor- 
ship as God the Creator, that for some cause it is a long dis- 
tance from Him, and that through the struggles of life it is 
slowly making its way back, with the hope of finding itself at 
home with Him and our dear angel friends in heaven at last? 
God made me, therefore His thought, His power and His love 
express themselves in my whole being. What I call my re- 
ligion is nothing more than His revelation of the way in which 
I can approach Him more closely, and maintain more intimate 
relations with Him and the dear loved ones who have gone to 
their eternal home. 

" But because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen 
you out of the world." St. John XV, 19. 



WE SHALL LIVE AGAIN. A 

'And there shall be no night there. Revelations XXII, 5. 

There is not a whole household on the face of the earth! 
Not one in which there is no grief for the departed ! The air 
is full of joyful greetings for those who have just come, and of 
sad farewells for those who are just going. We know by ex- 
perience what awaits the newcomers into this short and beauti- 
ful life, but what have we to say of those who have whispered 
their " good night," and are about to fall asleep ? Are we left 
in the dark concerning them, and must we weep until forget- 
fulness dries our tears, or can we look serenely into the future 
and think of them as in some foreign clime, where they are so- 



Gleanings from Life and the New Testament. 431 

journing at their larger opportunities and awaiting our 
coming ? 

This is the great problem, and until it is solved to the soul's 
satisfaction, we really have no God to worship, for a God who 
has made love the mightiest element of our nature, but breaks 
our relationship to others at death, as a giant snaps a thread, 
is a being to be feared but not one in whom to repose a cheer- 
ful confidence; and unless our religion has as much to say- 
about the future as about the present, it neither fits our needs 
nor responds to our cravings. It is weakest where it should 
be strongest, and it suffers defeat where it should win the vic- 
tory. Unless you can tell me something about to-morrow, 
I do not care to ask any questions about to-day. If the journey 
ends at sunset, it makes very little difference to me where I 
wander or what happens to me. The time is too short for the 
accomplishment of any high purpose, for while I am engaged 
in my work, and just as I get accustomed to myself and learn 
to use myself to the best advantage, I drop out of sight 
(Whereas ye knozv not what shall be on the morrow. For 
what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a 
little time and then vanisheth away. James IV, 14), leaving 
nothing behind except the memory of an unfinished task, and 
become a mere nothing in the midst of nowhere. My moral 
sense is destroyed, and instead of that self-sacrifice for the 
good of others, which is at once the most heroic and admirable 
quality of my nature, I eat, and drink, and am merry because 
to-morrow I shall die. How can I care for a God who cares so 
little for me that He makes me thirsty, leads me to the fountain 
and then refuses to let me drink? I may be convinced of His 
power, but I am suspicious of His wisdom, and I stoutly deny 
His goodness. An earthly father who should act thus toward 
his family would neither receive nor deserve the affection of 
his children. The denial of immortality, therefore, by those 
who are constituted as we are, and who are as dependent as 
we on that affection which develops all that is highest and 
noblest in our natures, is a preposterous libel against Him who 
taught us the Lord's prayer. It chills every warm motive that 
leads to holiness, and so dwarfs the soul that it becomes hardly 



432 Book of Knowledge. 

visible. No man can attain his full stature except under the 
influence of a faith which once in a while catches a glimpse o£ 
heaven, any more than a rosebush will blossom in the damp 
darkness of a cellar. Men and plants need light — the plant the 
light of the sun, and man the light of immortality. 

But once convince a man that, as he has fallen asleep so 
often in this life that he looks forward to it after the hard day's 
work, sure that he will wake again at sunrise refreshed and 
ready for additional toil, so will he close his eyes at last only 
to open them in a brighter world, and you will make a new 
creature of him. He is transformed and transfigured. The 
whole current of his thoughts is changed; his incentives lead 
him to a higher level of action; he is no longer like the musi- 
cian who plays out of tune, for he keys his instrument to the 
concert pitch which the leader gives, and produces the best 
music of which he and his instrument are capable. 

Our lives are based on thoughts, and the loftiest thoughts 
make the holiest lives. There is no conception which equals 
that of immortality in its benign, invigorating and inspiring in- 
fluence on the character of a man. It concentrates all his 
energies and sanctifies all his affections. It brings him into 
harmony with the universe and gives him the right to call on 
God in time of need. He lives for eternity ; makes plans which 
reach far beyond the confines of our earthly life; bears with 
resignation the burdens which Providence places on his 
shoulders, and tearfully says " Good-night," with the glad cer- 
tainty of saying " Good-morning " later on. 

But whither do they go who are summoned hence ? Do the 
bonds by which they and we are united in life break at death? 
Does memory die when the body is worn out? Is memory a 
physical function, or does it belong to the soul to live as long 
as the soul lives ? Will they be so enraptured by the glories of 
the future that their interest in us will cease? This cannot be 
true. Neither reason nor revelation gives utterance to such 
a preposterous statement. True love, the love that has grown 
sweeter and more tender with the passing years, the love on 
which two souls have leaned for support and comfort in the 
various vicissitudes of this lower world, is as much stronger 



Gleanings from Life and the New Testament. 433 

than death as a giant is stronger than a child. The change 
from one life to another can produce no change in love, except, 
indeed, to make it purer than ever. Love will not, cannot die. 
And they who go, go not so far but they can return. It is not 
a long journey from here to heaven. In Jacob's time it was 
only a ladder's length, and it is the same now. Our loved ones 
are close to us, bringing help and good cheer. The angels 
ministered to Christ, and the law has not been repealed. They 
minister also to us, and when we die our opening eyes will see 
familiar faces, and in our weariness we shall find rest in the 
embrace of those who have gone before. " And whither I go ye 
know, and the way ye know." St. John XIV, 4. 



THE SOUL. 

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, 
and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange 
for his soul? St. Matthew XVI, 26. 

It is a sound principle which leads us to take a jealous care 
of that which is worth the most, and allow unimportant matters 
to take care of themselves. If a man were presented with a 
jewel and a penny he would hardly set a guard over the penny 
and leave the jewel within reach of robbers. And if we dis- 
covered that he did so, under the conviction that the penny 
was worth more than the jewel, we might be excused if we 
regarded him as a man of unbalanced mind, suffering from 
some curious hallucination. 

Since we have souls, and since these souls are to survive 
that odd incident in our career which we call death, then it must 
needs follow, as logically as the night follows the day, that the 
soul's health and well-being should be the chief end of our 
actions. Other things may be valuable and quite worth work- 
ing for, but when these other things block the way to the soul's 
progress, we cannot reasonably hesitate as to which should be 
sacrificed. It is only the child who wants what we know will 
injure him, and we excuse him on the ground that he is un- 
developed, has not yet grasped the true philosophy of life. We 



434 Book of Knowledge. 

feel sure that when his mind is broadened by experience he will 
put aside childish things and take the view of a full-grown 
man. 

Now religion is nothing more than the result of a large out- 
look. Its requirements are based on the fact that you are to 
step out of this world into some other world, and for that 
reason you ought not to do in this world what will interfere 
with your happiness in that other world. The basis of religion, 
therefore, is both philosophic and scientific. Its commands 
are not arbitrary, but draw their authority from the eternal 
order of things. It is the religion of a watch to keep correct 
time, because that is the purpose for which is was made; and 
it is the religion of the soul to be honest, faithful and true, 
because these are the ends which God had in view when He 
made it, and because those ends can be achieved by obedience 
to constituted law, and in no other possible way. But our 
difficulty is that, like the man who prizes the penny more than 
the jewel, we are very largely under a hallucination. We think 
some things valuable which are worthless, and we fail to esti- 
mate other things at their proper worth, though, in fact, they 
are priceless. We are under a spell; we are glamoured, and 
the object of true religion is to set us right in our judgment, 
and thus influence our lives for our own benefit. It seems to 
me that the Father had just that in His eternal mind when He 
sent Jesus to tell us what road to take in order to get to 
heaven. 

For example, how marvellously we over-estimate the value 
of money. It is the panacea of all our ills, and we not only 
sacrifice, our bodily comfort for it, but shorten our lives and 
open the door to various ills. I have nothing to say against 
a just appreciation of money, for I know that it can contribute 
to human happiness. I am not sorry when a young man or a 
young woman is fired with ambition, dreaming grand dreams 
and toiling to realize them. But when I see them worship a 
pocketbook as though it were the god of all the worlds, for- 
getting the pleasures of life in this one pursuit, acquiring 
habits which unfit them for any enjoyments except what is 
found in adding dollars to dollars, I am sure that they do not 



Gleanings from Life and the New Testament. 435 

look at life from Christ's standpoint, and that they are paying 
too large a price for what yields them an inadequate return. 
And when, again, I see that a man's eagerness to acquire 
wealth has dethroned his moral principle ; that he is exchang- 
ing character for " thirty pieces of silver " ; that he is betray- 
ing his own manhood; that he can no longer respect himself, 
and has only a bank account in place of a conscience, I know 
that that man has a false standard of values and is the victim of 
a false view of life. Or, once more, when I see a man sur- 
render himself to the physical stimulus of pleasures under the 
impression that the law which demands its price for over- 
indulgence can be evaded, drowning his moral sense in excite- 
ment, ignoring the soul and depending on his body for all that 
life has to offer, I know that the time must come when regrets, 
like hornets, will sting him. He is out of tune with the uni- 
verse. He might as well try to play a concerto on a violin with 
loosened strings. His estimate of comparative values is all 
wrong. He is worshiping the penny and throwing the jewel 
away. He seeks for happiness, but seeks it where it is not to 
be found. He cheats himself out of his own fortune. The 
only lasting satisfaction is in being an honest and a true man. 
You will never work on the highest level until your circum- 
ference includes another world as well as this one, and you 
will never know the full meaning of the present life until the 
other life gives it its holiest interpretation. 

It is not your money but your manhood and womanhood 
which fixes your value. True religion, the religion which 
Christ taught, is broad and generous. It tells you that the 
soul is the jewel and the body is the penny, and that if you 
live in accordance with that fact you are a Christian worthy of 
immortality. 

" The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the 
sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither 
it goeth: so is every one that is born of the spirit." St. John 
III, 8. 

"Be not deceived: God is not mocked: for whatsoever a 
man soweth, that shall he reap." Galatians VI, 7. 



436 Book of Knowledge. 

LOVE. 

Love, therefore, is the fulfilment of the law. Romans XIII, 10. 

The only creed which will stand the test of time has for its 
beginning and end the command to do well by yourself by 
doing good to others. The man who seeks to absorb every- 
thing for his own comfort and convenience bases his life on a 
wrong principle. His purpose flies wide of the mark, like a 
bullet which never touches the target. There is a subtle some- 
thing in unselfishness which brings us richer gifts than greed 
ever hoped for. Our philosophy that teaches us how to get 
good things by giving good things is the profoundest in the 
world. It contradicts our preconceived notions but vindicates 
itself by the result produced. 

The essence of Christianity is not to be found in its dogmas, 
but in the every-day life of Christ. It does not help you to 
appreciate music to know how many vibrations make the notes 
of the octave. You may be quite ignorant of the science of 
music and yet be thrilled by it; and you may know nothing 
about the science of our religion and yet be spiritual to the 
heart's core. Place yourself in a position to understand 
Christ's spiritual laws, and you have all that is needful for this 
life and the life to come. And so to tell it all in one breath, 
our religion teaches us love (" These things I command you, 
that ye love one another." St. John XV, 17.), that kind of love 
which pities sin, heals the wounded, and helps bereavement to 
wear the smile of hope. If you look into the life of Christ 
you will find there love as wide as the firmament and as deep 
as the sea; love as exhaustless as the river which flows eter- 
nally into the ocean but never wholly spends itself. 

I beseech you, therefore, to love along the line of the per- 
pendicular until you reach the home of God, and to love along 
the line of the horizontal until you touch the farthest sorrow- 
ing soul on the planet. Then you will have all that is needful 
— spiritual riches beyond compare — a heart like that of Christ, 
and a life with all the poetry and peace of heaven in it. There 
is too much of self in the world. Our hands are stretched out 



Gleanings from Life and the New Testament. 437 

to take, not to give. We plan for personal gain, are forgetful 
of the wants of others, build a moat about ourselves and keep 
the drawbridge up, lest some one may cross to ask for help. 
All that is like poison to the soul. It causes us to wilt like a 
flower that is not fed with water. We become like a field of 
grain after a long drought, for the very life is parched, and but 
for the mercy of God we should be scarcely worth the reaping. 
It is hard to look over the world and feel that though there is 
plenty and to spare, some are starving; that though there are 
churches at every corner, vice is not checked by love, but 
simply cast into prison; that though we have the New Testa- 
ment for our guide we are as heedless of its injunctions as if 
it had never been written. Just think, after eighteen centuries 
we are not yet Christians, and if Christ our Teacher were to re- 
visit the earth in the body, He would rebuke us as He did the 
Pharisees of old. He might even use so strong a word as 
" hypocrites," for do we not openly declare that all men are 
our brothers, while in private we get from them what we can 
and give as little as possible ? The so-called Christianity is not 
practical; it is a mere theory, a pleasant dream. 

The whole domain in which character is formed and happi- 
ness is found by the duties which grow out of love for man- 
kind is still unexplored. No day should pass without a kind 
word to some one, nor without some act which will bring good 
cheer. There are men who can be turned from evil by a hand- 
shake, and women who can be saved by a smile of encourage- 
ment. Here is your duty, and when your duty becomes a 
pleasure, then you are close to your ideal ; that is true religion, 
spiritual law — Spiritualism — and there is no other kind that is 
worth a second thought. 

It is always well to keep in mind that you are here, not for 
the purpose of getting all you can, but of giving whenever 
there is need of it. When we get into the other world we shall 
know that a good deed is worth more than anything else ; that 
kindly words are like the handful of seed which the farmer 
scatters about his field and which produces a large harvest in 
the autumn. I do not ask you to spend all your time in this 
manner, but I believe you should not avoid the opportunity 



438 Book of Knowledge. 

which offers, for there is no happiness in what is purely selfish. 
It is a hard lesson to learn, but it is the secret of spiritual 
success. 

No man can sit in the silence and rejoice unless the echo of 
a good deed fills his ears. What you greedily save you will 
lose ; what you freely give you will save. 

" If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, 
whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself." St. John 
VII, 17. 

THE GOLDEN RULE. 

As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them 
likewise. St. Luke VI, 31. 

There is a curious bit of satire in calling this the Golden 
Rule. As we consider gold the most important of all earthly 
possessions, we christen this rule of action by the name of 
what we most desire. But, oddly enough, while we spend our 
energies and lay the most careful plans for the acquisition of 
gold, we are equally shrewd and painstaking to find ways in 
which to avoid following the rule. The two things are equally 
necessary to human happiness ; so we think and so we declare, 
and yet we take delight in gathering a harvest of gold; but, as 
for the rule, its practice is a great hardship. I do not say that 
the Golden Rule is obsolete, for the word implies that what 
was once common has fallen into disuse. In fact there is 
hardly a passage of Scripture which has ever been put to as 
little practical use as this. The world knows almost nothing 
of the Golden Rule as an experience. It is one of our ideals, 
a theory which presents many aspects of attractive beauty, but 
so far as its realization is concerned, we have no personal 
knowledge of its spiritual value and results. It is a dream, a 
vision, but nothing more. Nevertheless, it is doubtless true 
that in unselfishness and self-sacrifice is to be found the secret 
of spiritual development and happiness. The philosophy of 
getting has been carefully studied, but the philosophy of giving 
is quite unknown to us. To win the greatest good by giving 
all we have seems so nearly impossible, and involves so much 
apparent discomfort, that we hesitate to try the experiment. 



Gleanings from Life and the New Testament. 439 

Can you conceive what this world would be if we were to 
do unto others what we would like them to do unto us ? I con- 
fess that my imagination staggers at the effort. It would seem 
as though a thousand magicians had been set at work. No 
selfishness? Brotherly love everywhere? Nothing of this 
wild ambition which reaches out its strong hand to grasp every- 
thing, but a universal desire" to extend help wherever it was 
needed? The only rivalry to do more good than our neigh- 
bors? No wars, no international conflicts, no swords, but only 
ploughshares? What a world that would be, a very Christ 
world, where our angel loved ones could come at any time and 
be welcomed! One trembles at the divine condition of affairs 
that would be realized. I have a conviction that in such a 
world all men and women would be physically as well as 
morally healthy; that we should not die of disease but of old 
age, like a clock which keeps perfect time until the last tick, 
when it runs down. But we can make a personal application 
of this rule and be thereby transformed. I know of nothing 
that is more beneficial to body and soul than doing a kind act 
at some sacrifice to yourself. Living for yourself and your 
own comfort only is a mean and narrow existence. To have 
plenty and to ignore the fact that others are starving is a 
subtle cruelty to your better nature. To love your neighbor 
with such a love as will compel you to contribute in some way 
to his welfare is to have a soul gladness which he alone appre- 
ciates who possesses it. I think Christ was really happier on 
His way to Calvary than many a rich man is in spending his 
wealth in pleasure and dissipation. 

You can find more satisfaction in taking some trouble to 
save a reckless boy or girl than in the most costly self-indul- 
gence, and if we would devote a part of each day to deeds of 
this kind a very millennium would come into our hearts and 
homes. There are undiscoverable possibilities in the Golden 
Rule which are waiting to reveal themselves, just as there are 
stars in the sky which are anxious to be discovered by the 
astronomer. Then let us all in the future, with the aid of God 
and the angels, try to follow the " Golden Rule." " And into 
whatsoever house ye enter, first say, peace be to this house. ,, 
St. Luke X, 5. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 
OUR YESTERDAYS AND OUR TO-MORROWS. 

Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. St. Matthew VI, 34. 

Here is a bit of philosophy too profound to be appreciated 
without careful and continuous study. It also contains a stern 
injunction not to worry over what cannot be helped, but, on 
the other hand, to make the best of circumstances. You are 
commanded to let the past go its way into the land of forget- 
fulness, and not to borrow from the future the trouble which 
you fear it may contain, but to live in the present as far as 
possible. It is a command very difficult to obey, and yet obedi- 
ence is absolutely necessary if you would get out of life all 
that God has put into it. 

The man who has a vivid remembrance of his past troubles 
and who cherishes that memory, deliberately throws a gloom 
over his present. If he will confine himself to the duty of the 
moment, he will generally find that he is quite equal to it, but 
if he collects all the miseries of yesterday and of the day before 
and adds more to the burdens of to-day, he becomes dis- 
heartened, and his discouragement saps his moral strength and 
produces moral weakness. You have enough to do to face 
what is immediately before you, and if you conjure up the 
ghosts of misdeeds and of trials which have been outlived, you 
do yourself a serious injury and interfere with your spiritual 
or business success. 

In like manner, if you think you can master to-day's work, 
but dampen your ardor by wondering how you are going to get 
through to-morrow, you produce a nervous tension which de- 
bilitates and brings about the very failure that you dread. No 
man can carry more than one day at a time. When Jesus asks 
you not to attempt to do so He gives you wise counsel, and 
you had better follow the advice. 



Our Yesterdays and our To-Morrows. 441 

Life is not so smooth that you can afford to make it rougher 
by recalling the bad roads over which you have already passed, 
or anticipating the bad roads over which you will have to pass 
before the end of the journey is reached. You may be cheer- 
ful and therefore strong; if you will forget the things that are 
behind and let the future take care of itself; but if you propose 
to add yesterday and to-morrow to to-day, you will do what 
God warns you against doing, and you will certainly make a 
great mistake. 

If the sun shines now, be grateful and contented. Suppose 
it did rain yesterday, or suppose we are to have a blizzard to- 
morrow. You have gotten beyond the rain on the one hand, 
and, on the other, the time has not come to meet the blizzard. 
It is foolish to make yourself miserable now because you were 
miserable a few days ago, or because you may be miserable a 
few days hence. One duty, one labor at a time is quite enough. 
If there be any enjoyment to be had, take it with an eager 
grasp ; for if you sit in the warm sunshine for only five minutes 
it helps you to bear the cold of the next five minutes. It is 
poor policy to spoil those first five minutes by worrying about 
those other five minutes. 

Let me illustrate. There is nothing in connection with 
death more wearing than the regret that you did not do more 
for the one who has gone. This is a universal experience with 
those who have any heart. The fact of separation seems to 
have a magic in it, for it is suddenly revealed to you that there 
were many little attentions which you failed to render, and the 
remembrance pierces like a knife. No one ever parted with a 
loved one without self-blame of that kind. But as a general 
thing it is an illusion, conjured up from overwrought nerves. 
In very truth you did whatever the circumstances suggested, 
you did as much as human nature is capable of doing, but in 
the presence of death you accuse yourself of things of which 
you are quite innocent, and in doing so you make the parting 
harder to bear. It may be well for the dear one that he has 
gone. He has sweet sleep for the first time in many months. 
He is glad that the bonds of mortality are broken and that he 
is at last released, and in the lower depths of your own heart 



442 Book of Knowledge. 

you are also glad for his sake. But there comes this thorny 
thought that you may have been remiss and your soul is wrung 
by it. You do yourself a wrong. You did what you could. 
You were tender, loving, gentle, more than kind. You have 
real burdens enough without adding imaginary ones. Your 
tears must not be embittered by an accusation which has no 
basis in fact. Life is too precious and too short to be wasted 
in regrets of that kind. The duties of the future demand your 
close attention, and you have no right to think of the dead 
except to recall a sweet relationship and to dream of a reunion. 

Live your life as quietly and as peacefully as possible. Live 
in each day as it comes. Other days, whether past or future, 
must not be allowed to press on your heart. This is the 
noblest policy you can adopt, the policy that comes to you as a 
divine injunction. Let neither regret nor anticipation intrude 
upon you to make you weak. It is evident that there is a plan 
according to which your life is arranging itself, and equally 
evident that if you are reposeful and trustful, and doing the 
duty of the present hour, and not fretting over the duty of the 
next hour, you are in a mental condition which keeps all your 
powers at their best. 

It is the grandest privilege to feel there is a God, a guardian 
of human destiny, and you are in His hands. If that convic- 
tion is one of your possessions, your pearl of great price, you 
can be quiet even in the midst of tumult and cheerful in the 
midst of sorrows, for your very tears will serve as a background 
for the rainbow of hope and promise. 

" For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father 
with His angels; and then He shall reward every man accord- 
ing to his works." St. Matthew XVI, 27. 



OUR HURRYING YEARS. 

For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when 
it is past. Psalms XC, 4. 

If the soul grows not old, what care we for the passage of 
time? Even though we rapidly approach the hour when our 






Our Yesterdays and our To-Morrows. 443 

bodies will crumble like a building whose stones refuse to hold 
themselves together longer, is it occasion for mourning and 
regret, or shall we congratulate ourselves and peer into the 
future with a curiosity so mingled with faith that all fear is dis- 
pelled? If there is better music to be heard, if there are larger 
opportunities to be embraced, may we not be grateful to the 
hurrying years which will not let us loiter, but bear us swiftly 
on to the next chapter in our soul's biography? Time reckon- 
ing is simply a convenience, nothing more. It enables us to 
fix the relation of events in which we are interested. The 
seasons change from fruitage to winter, and are early made 
into landmarks which assist the memory. The earth plunges 
through space, is now dark and now light, and we speak of 
yesterday or yesterday night. It keeps its even course about 
the sun, and when it reaches a certain station in its journey we 
speak of the New Year, and with a hand-clasp for neighbor and 
friend, wish each other a happy transit to the close at hand 
spring, and the still slumbering summer, and the ripening 
autumn, with its wheat fields and orchards, and the far-away 
winter, when in some parts of the earth the hills and valleys 
will sleep again under their coverlid of snow. 

Time is only a fractional part of the eternity which is the 
soul's heritage. So if we use it well we need give no thought 
to its passage. Let it come, let it go — why should we give it 
a thought? Not even age can be counted by years. We are 
not so many years old, but so much experience old. Age is 
not discovered by wrinkles on the face, for one may be young 
in heart and old in body. I have seen a tottering man of 
eighty who was still a mere child so far as the deep things of 
the spiritual are concerned, and I have seen a youth of twenty 
who had passed through most of the experiences which a long 
life affords. Time, therefore, has nothing to do with the soul, 
and though you reckon a man's summers and winters, you can- 
not guess his age, for that is a secret with him and God. It is, 
however, a beautiful and inspiring custom to cease from our 
work during this pulse-beat of the universe which we call New 
Year's Day, and touch hearts and hands with gratitude for the 
past and hope for the future. With regret we look on the 



444 Book of Knowledge. 

months that have slipped away and been lost in the crowd of 
events, because we are somehow under the illusion that there 
are only so many years allotted to us, just as there is so much 
money in our treasury. When we spend our money we have 
nothing left, but when we spend our years we have Eternity 
left. Our natural inclination is to view life from the stand- 
point of the body, and we therefore get a very limited view of 
ourselves. We cling to the days and weeks with the tenacity 
of a miser who hoards his dollars. But there is a higher and 
nobler standpoint, and from that we get a prospect which 
charms, dazzles, and even oppresses us to the verge of grate- 
ful tears. I mean the standpoint of the immortal soul — that 
mysterious something whose wings are hidden in the flesh, but 
which, when the chiming bells of death ring out its release, will 
soar into upper air and never rest in its flight until, like a 
hovering pigeon, it has found the heaven from which it was 
taken at birth. 

The boy longs to be a man full grown. He spends his am- 
bitious nights in dreaming of the deeds he will do when he has 
attained his stature, his vigor, his maturity. He even wishes 
the joyous days away in his ardent desire for the future. So 
might it be with us if our faith could grasp the truth; if our 
eyes could get a glimpse of the beyond; if the shining hill-tops 
of the other world were not sometimes shrouded in mist. We 
should be glad that time hurries us from one year to another; 
that the way to be trod is shortening, and that in a few more 
summers or winters we shall be invited to a banquet where 
the loved and lost will bid us a hearty welcome. But haste and 
thoughtfulness must go together. The haste is inevitable and 
the thoughtfulness is a duty. There is no harm in running if 
one knows what object he is pursuing. 

The skeptic who runs toward a precipice from which he 
will be hurled into eternal oblivion, who chases the mad ambi- 
tions of his little day and then suddenly evaporates, body and 
soul, and finds the only rest from his labors in annihilation, 
leads a useless life and ends with a broken heart. The pros- 
pect so depresses him that he knows not which way to turn. 
But just stop and look at nature and everything in it and then 



Our Yesterdays and our To-Morrows. 445 

you will realize that it is all a plan of Eternal law, and as Henry 
Drummond says, " This earth is a great big sc'hoolhouse and 
we are all scholars," and so it is. The better scholar of nature, 
the larger our souls become, and the more ready we are to 
meet our loved ones in the life beyond. 

" So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our 
hearts unto wisdom." Psalms XC, 12. 

" Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto 
Christ, that we may be justified by faith." Galatians III, 24. 

" But after that faith is come (the communication between 
the two worlds) we are no longer under a schoolmaster." 
Galatians III, 25. 



SOMETHING ELSE. 
There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. 1 Cor. 

XV, 44. 

I am always a little confused when metaphysicians tell me 
that I have a body, a mind, a spirit, and a soul. It may be 
true, but I cannot make it plain to myself that these four en- 
tities are all separate and independent of each other. It is an 
intricate problem and I only waste valuable time in trying to 
understand it. So I make myself satisfied by saying that I 
consist of a body, which is evidently a short-lived piece of 
mechanism, and a Something Else, which I feel sure will out- 
last the ravages of this earthly experience. The subdivisions 
of that Something Else I may know very little about, and, if 
truth be told, I care less. But of one thing I have never had 
any doubt — namely, that this Something Else is my controlling 
influence and that the body is its servitor. What goes on in 
the inner man decides, at least to a large extent, what shall 
happen to the body of man. Health depends to a greater ex- 
tent than we have ever imagined, though physicians noted the 
fact and acted upon it ages ago, on our state of mind. Our 
thoughts are practically chemical agents which force the func- 
tions of the body to reflect them. They can either transform 
and transfigure the face or they can deform and disfigure it. 



446 Book of Knowledge. 

A devilish thought cannot evade the development of a devilish 
face; it would be an anomaly and a miracle. 

If a man surrenders himself to dissipation and passion there 
will be furrows and lines which advertise that fact. The laws 
of nature work in that way and they are inexorable. If one 
were skilled he could at once read the character of a man in 
his physical appearance. The story is all there, but our knowl- 
edge is imperfect and we are frequently deceived. Can a man 
be avaricious, contemptible and mean for many years, make 
these qualities the keynote of his life, and still wear an expres- 
sion which indicates benevolence and a high sense of honor? 
(I would advise all my readers to read Mary O. Stanton's 
scientific work on " Physiognomy, and How to "Read Faces." 
Every family and every business man should have one of her 
books; her writings fully explain all this.) As you look at a 
beggar's face and see that he has been pinched with hunger, 
so can you look into the miser's face and see that his soul has 
been stunted in its growth. The opposite holds good also. A 
good life, a life of kindliness and integrity, a life that is wholly 
above board, shows itself in the facial expression, in the clear 
and honest look of the eyes; in lines about the mouth, and in 
the general beaming. No one was ever yet conscious of sin 
without being a coward, and Cowardice produces certain 
physical results which are palpable; no one ever went triumph- 
antly through terrible temptation or bowed with quiet resigna- 
tion under the burden of a great affliction without uncon- 
sciously betraying these facts to every careful observer. 

Your body depends on the state of your soul. This is a 
truth which we have just begun to recognize, but its recogni- 
tion, when it becomes full, will change the whole complexion of 
our lives. The evils from which we suffer and the health which 
we so thoroughly enjoy are the consequences of what is going 
on within the laboratory where thoughts originate. In that 
secret laboratory, the forces which make or unmake are gener- 
ated, and I have no doubt that in the distant future, when 
spiritual research has accomplished its perfect work, we shall 
have different bodies, more healthy and more vigorous, be- 
cause we shall put this Something Else on the throne and obey 
its royal commands. 



Our Yesterdays and our To-Morrows. 447 

What, then, is religion and what is its purpose? Is it 
merely speculation or is it practical? Is it something up in the 
air, to be used as a sedative when you are about to die, or as a 
disagreeable but remedial drug when we yield to sin? Or is 
it a sun bath, a draught of the water of life, a northwest wind 
that supplies the lungs with oxygen? If the latter, then it is 
not for the last hours of life, but for the whole life ; it is not 
a luxury which only the few can have, but a necessity which 
everybody must have. 

The ideas on which religion is based and from which its 
demands are drawn are the most inspiring and elevating which 
the human mind can entertain. To believe firmly that there is 
above you a God whom you may address in prayer and from 
whom you have a right to expect help and advice; whose 
kindly Providence over you never slumbers nor sleeps ; a God 
whose laws do not represent irresistible power, but paternal 
solicitude and love, and who requires obedience not for His 
own sake but solely for yours ; how can a man accept such 
thoughts and. not be ennobled, uplifted and strengthened by 
them? Add to this a belief that the angels — some of them the 
departed members of your own household, cannot lose their 
interest in those who remain to finish their day's work; have 
learned that the journey from heaven to earth is a short one 
and are glad to take it when their presence is needed here. 
How can a man be fed on that kind of food and not develop 
health and vigor? Add once more the faith that when shadows 
fall we shall sleep a pleasant sleep and be roused by the loving 
touch of dear ones who will be glad to welcome us to the new 
and everlasting home — well, then you have builded the arch 
and put the keystone in its place. 

The glorious Christ taught all that; He lived all that, and 
He died on the cross in attestation of all that. 

The Something Else in you is better than your body. 

" But he answered and said, it is written, man shall not live 
by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the 
mouth of God." St. Matthew IV, 4. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

FAITH AND POWER. 

And Stephen full of faith and power, did great wonders and 
miracles among the people. Acts VI, 8. 

When we look out on this strange but beautiful world, in 
which our tents are pitched for a day and a night, we see, first 
a manifestation of power which is inexorable and irresistible; 
and, second, a tendency on the part of everything to go in a 
straight line toward some definite end. Things seem to know 
why they exist, and they keep themselves busy in the accom- 
plishment of their destiny. 

I sometimes think of the universe as a countless multitude 
of profound thoughts which I cannot quite grasp or under- 
stand. Every tree, cloud, mountain or valley appeals to me 
as a conscious entity like the several members of an orchestra, 
watching the baton of the leader and helping to produce " the 
music of the spheres." 

There is boundless and joyous life everywhere and any- 
where — a distinct and well-defined plan as when some vast 
structure is being builded, and the multitude of workmen, ap- 
parently in confusion but really in perfect order, are slowly 
giving material shape to the dream of the architect. 

The tiniest seed produces only the plant whose name is 
written in invisible characters on its heart, and is happy in its 
task. The rosebush sends its roots into the sympathetic soil, 
makes demands for those chemical elements out of which only 
a rose can be constructed, and such is the harmony between 
bush and soil that no other ingredients except those asked for 
are ever supplied. 

If it were possible for a handful of wheat to produce a crop 
of thistles, we should regard creation as an experiment whose 



Faith and Power. 449 

manager was not quite sure of himself, and the issue of which 
was somewhat in doubt. But it is clear that boundless power 
is operating in accord with boundless wisdom, and the general 
outcome shows that behind the wisdom and the power is the 
intention to make a happy universe. There is no chance any- 
where, any more than in a manufactory, where each machine 
does its individual part of the work by which the raw material 
is changed into a commercial fabric. Seeming confusion is 
simply misunderstood order, and apparent evil is evolving ulti- 
mate and infinite good. 

Now what is the relation of man to this condition of affairs, 
and in what does his religion consist? That is the main point 
in which we are interested, because our comfort and usefulness 
depend on our interpretation. Spiritual laws must be the 
result of knowledge, and it must be based on the eternal and 
unchangeable facts which make up our environment. Our 
religion (Spiritualism) is another word for science in its high- 
est and broadest definition, and it must be of such a nature 
that no man's mind can brush aside its demands ; that every- 
one can see that it is reasonable ; that it is imperative ; and that 
without it we cannot reach the highest spiritual elevation of 
which the soul is capable. 

The Christ's teachings open the door for our entrance into 
the Temple of the Creator. He was acquainted with the great 
secret. He lived in accordance with a profound philosophy. 
His death on the cross showed that he was mentally superior 
to the physical suffering imposed by an ignorant and bigoted 
people. " The thieves, also, which were crucified with him, 
cast the same in his teeth." St. Matthew XXVII, 44. If we 
possess his thought we can live on so lofty a level that hard- 
ship and tears and bereavement will be stepping stones in our 
ascent to another world. 

If the universe is a great reservoir of ever active power 
used by wisdom, and if there is a plan which is being worked 
out, then we can never be at peace until we are willingly a part 
of that plan and are doing our share toward its completion. To 
be in harmony with eternal laws, to see the end from the be* 
ginning, and to keep it in sight throughout the journey, as the 



45 o Book of Knowledge. 

mariner keeps his eye on the compass in storm and calm — that 
is to be at one with God and to have all the omnipotence of 
the Almighty at command. There is no limit to Spiritualism, 
because we can draw from the reservoir as we draw electricity 
from the clouds or water from the ocean. He prayed that we 
might be one with Him. There is no reason why a command 
over the forces of nature should not be ours as well as His. 
This may seem to be a strange truth, but it is truth neverthe- 
less. God will come to our rescue provided we do not shut 
Him out, and religion consists in keeping the door open be- 
tween the two worlds. All heaven belongs to us — God — Christ 
— and the angels — if we are in harmony with the universe. 

If the Eternal laws are our laws, we not only have a religion 
which will stand the test of sickness, sorrow and death, but one 
which will brighten every experience, lighten every burden, 
make us healthy in body because we are healthy in mind, and 
render the great change which we now dread so much a wel- 
come transit to a world in which we shall be greeted by those 
whom we have mourned as lost. 

" These things have I spoken unto you, that in Me ye might 
have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of 
good cheer : I have overcome the world." St. John XVI, 33. 



REJOICE ALWAYS. 

But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have 
rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. Galatians VI, 4. 

It is just as much our duty to enjoy life as it is to work 
or sleep. It is therefore very important that we should so 
arrange our lives that they will furnish the largest amount of 
enjoyment. I do not say that you can be perfectly happy all 
the time, for no part of our discipline is more needed by the 
soul than that which comes from the trials and disappoint- 
ments, and even the profound sorrows through which we are 
forced to pass. One may even say that he who has never wept 
does not know the value of laughter, and that he who has not 
toiled along the hot and dreary road does not appreciate the 



Faith and Power. 451 

I 
bliss of sitting under the friendly branches of a tree, with a 
cool spring bubbling at his feet for a short period of rest. It 
is only when we are deprived of a blessing that we discover its 
worth, and he alone is grateful in its possession who knows 
what it is to get along without it. (" For every man shall bear 
his own burden." Galatians VI, 5). I have heard a saint (a 
dear woman who has lived a saintly life and who is daily sur- 
rounded by the angels) say that neither man nor woman can 
rightly define heaven until they stand by a new-made grave. 
One may sometimes see more through his tears than when 
looking through the largest telescope that was ever made. 

I do not ignore the serious , or solemn side of life, but I 
assure you that if you add to the gloom by gloomy thoughts, 
you not only make a mistake so far as your own comfort is 
concerned, but you are to that extent irreligious. On the 
other hand, when you preserve a cheerful attitude; when you 
brighten your life by dwelling on the good things you have 
rather than on those you wish you had ; when you make your- 
self as happy as your circumstances will allow, you are in the 
proper frame of mind to receive religious truth — you are in 
accord with the eternal plan and have taken the first step in 
the direction of true religion. You open your doors and home 
for the angels to enter and comfort you, but so long as you 
regard your environments as all wrong and unfitted to you; 
so long as you find fault because you think you are not where 
you ought to be ; just so long do you bar the way to a higher 
level and chain yourself to a dungeon floor. The angels, with 
their soothing and encouraging influence, can no more reach 
you than the sunshine can get through a window which you 
have deliberately bricked up. I can almost say that a human 
soul can so surround itself with an atmosphere of discontent 
and doubt that the Lord Himself cannot effect an entrance, 
while what is injurious (because it is evil) is as much at home 
as a poisonous plant that thrives on miasma. If you are long- 
ing for the light you will go to a spot where the light can reach 
you, but it is foolish to declare that there is no light when you 
sit in a dark corner where only shadows dwell. There are very 
few lives in which a degree of happiness may not be found if 



452 Book of Knowledge. 

it is sought for. But we must not forget that we must work 
to be happy just as we work to be rich. If we want wealth we 
fix our minds upon it. We know if we discover its hiding- 
place our dreams will be realized. We plan to get it, and have 
sufficient confidence in ourselves to keep us on the alert. No 
opportunity escapes us, and we make the most of every one 
that presents itself. I cannot see why the principle should 
not be applied to religion, neither can I see why it should not 
be successful. We go to get riches, but we expect happiness 
and contentment to come to us. We work for fame, for social 
influence, for all worldly good things; but it seldom occurs to 
us that we must also work for that mental and spiritual con- 
dition in which life is experienced at its best. And yet a man 
— that is the law as I understand it — should be as keen in his 
search for peace of mind, for resignation, for self-control, as he 
is for dollars; and he should begin the task in the conviction 
that God wants him to be happy rather than miserable, and has 
so made the universe and arranged our environments that we 
may spend contented years in this lower sphere and be joyfully 
raised to a higher life after death. 

If you look at life from your own standpoint then you will 
say that I am a mere visionary; that I have dreamed dreams 
that can never come true. But if you look at it from God's 
standpoint, you will admit that you are wrong and that I am 
stating startling facts. I cannot conceive of a religion which 
does not lighten human burdens. 

I do not believe that God ever spoke a word in the way of 
revelation which was not intended to make the soul serene 
and happy. If we do not interpret the Bible after this fashion, 
then we misinterpret it. It is a closed book to us, and we have 
not learned to read it. Never look on the dark side with dark 
feelings in your heart, for you thereby make the darkness 
darker still. Look at it from the conviction that God is over- 
head; a conviction which is like the lantern carried by the 
traveller in the night time, and you will find reason to rejoice, 
even when the clouds are heavy and the path is steep. If 
Christ could walk with unfaltering steps to the place of cruci- 
fixion because He knew that it was the road to Heaven, surely 



Faith and Power. 453 

we can lay aside this unworthy habit of magnifying the petty 
ills of life, and, by faith in the Providence which has never yet 
deserted us, and in the watchful care of the angels who attend 
us, can find occasion to rejoice every day until the setting sun 
ushers us into a world to which this is as the portico of the 
cathedral is to the cathedral itself. 

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a 
man soweth, that shall he also reap." Galatians VI, 7. 

THE HIGHER TRUTH. 

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great 
a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin 
which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the 
race that is set before us. Hebrews XII, 1. 

Dear reader, let you and me review this together, and think 
that everybody has a religious side to his nature. It may be 
hidden as gold is frequently hidden in a pocket many feet under 
the ground, but it is there and it is worth all the pains required 
to get at it. No man is soaked in depravity as a sponge is 
soaked in water, with every cell and pore full of it. Even the 
" Satan of Milton " had moments of regret, and, though they 
were quickly followed by the desperation engendered by defeat, 
he not only excites our pity but forces the conviction that the 
longing for higher things was not wholly suppressed. As for 
you and me, we have a constant desire to be true-hearted, vir- 
tuous and high-minded, and this desire is like the lamp in some 
Catholic churches whose flame is dim, but is never allowed to 
go out. At the same time we lack some special soul-ingredient 
which would make us firm of purpose and enable us to attain 
our ideal. We are not so wicked as we are weak. We are 
so contradictory that we honestly want to do right and forth- 
with do the wrong. The most surprising fact in our lives is 
that we are no better than we are. We are thus a disappoint- 
ment to ourselves, and we wonder why we have allowed our- 
selves to be cajoled by pleasures which have not been profit- 
able and by excitement and indulgences Which have been harm- 



454 Book of Knowledge. 

ful. In these respects we are a mystery and a puzzle to our- 
selves. 

As we look back it seems as though a heap of precious 
stones were within easy reach, but for some unaccountable 
reason we are satisfied with a handful of pebbles. Our most 
serious difficulty is that while we intellectually assent to cer- 
tain truths we do not make them a part of our spiritual life. 
We do not really believe the half of what we say we believe. 
We are not hypocrites, and there is no intention to deceive 
either ourselves or anyone else, but our creed is a theory and 
not a practice. When a hungry man eats, the food nourishes 
his body and becomes a part of muscles and nerves, but when 
we say that God is present in our lives it is a hollow statement 
which has no personal relation to us. It is because we feel 
Him to be far away that our experience is so hard. He and the 
dear angels, our loved ones, are really near, but we cannot 
convince ourselves that it is so, and as a consequence we miss 
the helpfulness of the greatest truths ever revealed to man. 

Try to imagine the condition, mental and spiritual, in which 
we would find ourselves if we had followed St. Paul's advice 
years ago and were now the product of the higher life to which 
he points. I think our creed would be shorter and our faith 
stronger. We should have that kind of religion which is to 
the soul what health is to the body. For that matter, since a 
man can be depressed physically by gloomy thoughts and ex- 
hilarated by cheerfulness, he would have a perfect body and a 
sane mind. This world, in spite of its many cares and troubles, 
its tears and bereavements, would be the beautiful ante- 
chamber of the palace to which we shall be summoned by that 
suave messenger of the most high whom we call death. So 
far from dreading his coming, as we do now, we would look 
forward to the time when the gate will be swung open for our 
entrance. And as to our present struggle, we would be like 
the traveller who is bearing a somewhat heavy burden, but who 
is cheered by the hope of reunion with dear ones in the larger 
home near at hand. 

There is nothing we could not do, or become, or endure if 
we were only sure that the " God Power " had set us our task 



Faith and Power. 455 

and would help us to accomplish it. Some one dies, for 
example. How do we receive the sorrow? Do we think of 
the mother, the wife, the child, as having been benefited by 
the change? Have we the moral courage to utter a prayer of 
congratulation because the chains have dropped and the pris- 
oner is free ? On the contrary, the so-called religion fails us in 
the supreme moment, and instead of thinking of the trans- 
figuration we think of the tomb. 

Now we will look again. There are the supposed lost but 
still loved — the dear ones whose voices were long since hushed 
— and they long for reunion even as you do. In heaven, the 
spiritual world, you and they will once more embrace. With 
such a prospect does life pay? Is it worth while to struggle 
and be patient, to mourn and be resigned? What are these 
tears and smiles and struggles but stepping stones up which we 
climb with difficulty but with a heart of hope and faith and 
gladness? The storms may lower; they are nothing. We may 
even follow our loved ones to the grave : it is nothing. The 
spiritual world is close at hand, and this lower life is a glorious 
life, because, like the turbulent river, it flows into eternity. 

"And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season 
we s'hall reap, if we faint not." Galatians VI, 9. 



FAITH— KNOWLEDGE. 

He that believcth on Mc, the works that I do, shall he do also ; 
and greater works than these shall he do. St. John XIV, 12. 

This text has long been a stumbling block because it con- 
tains a promise or prophecy of such astounding nature that a 
full appreciation of it is apparently impossible. We have tried 
to explain it in such a way that the incredible has not been in- 
volved, or we have quietly laid it aside as a mystery which our 
reverence will not allow us to examine closely. But the only 
way to interpret the Scriptures is to do it boldly. Hesitation 
is sometimes fatal. Christ was not dealing in hyperbole when 
He uttered these words, and in simple justice, therefore, we are 
bound to accept His statement in a literal sense. Because we 



456 Book of Knowledge. 

have not received it in this way, but have measured it by our 
own standard of what is possible, we have lost sight of the 
truth which He was at such pains to emphasize. It is a tre- 
mendous truth, and above the reach of our comprehension in 
this age of greed and selfishness, but a truth which will be the 
chief jewel in the diadem of progress when advancing science 
shall have discovered the right relation between a soul and 
the world in which it sojourns or bivouacs. More knowledge 
in Christ means more power to control the forces of nature. 
When that knowledge shall become perfect in the centuries 
of the future, nature will cease to be our tyrant and terror, as 
now, and change to servant; and we shall find it was intended 
by Providence that men should be the masters of their environ- 
ments, even as Christ was; and, as He promised, we also 
should be under certain conditions, and nothing but ignorance 
or lack of faith prevents us from reaching that consummation. 
When we shall live as He did, when God is manifest in us as 
He was manifest in Him, we shall have both the Christ spirit 
and the Christ power. If this seems to be a rash assertion, I 
fall back on the New Testament for my defense. I therefore 
open a vista to you, thoughts so radiant, so dazzling that the 
heart trembles and the eyes fill with tears of wonder. The 
truth, however, is always startling and always difficult to accept. 
Let me illustrate the text by comparing small things with 
great : When the first steamboat ploughed its slow way up the 
Hudson the world felt that it stood on the threshold of a new 
and glorious era. Robert Fulton had wrought a miracle! 
That is to say, he had caught and harnessed certain laws 
hitherto unknown and unapplied. The law had always existed, 
but he drew it from its hiding-place and applied it to the wel- 
fare of mankind. Suppose some prophet or seer had come 
from the other world and explained that incident to the people. 
He would have told them that what they considered a marvel 
was the expression of a law which they would sometime under- 
stand, and which they would utilize for their convenience and 
comfort ; that the marvel would cease to be a marvel when they 
were sufficiently educated to grasp the law which made it 
possible, and that it was only the beginning of a larger com- 



Faith and Power. 457 

mercial and domestic life which future generations would en- 
joy. 

Now let us ascend from the valley of material things to the 
lofty regions of spiritual concerns. The Christ had little to do 
with the bodies of men, except indirectly, but much to do with 
their souls. He was, in a certain sense, the soul's discoverer. 
He drew the line of life beyond the confines ci the grave until 
it stretched into the unknown and mist-covered regions of 
eternity. God and we, He said, must act in harmony before 
the ideal can be reached. But with God ever at our right hand, 
and a heaven in which the several loves of earth shall be re- 
united, continuously in plain sight, there is no limit to our 
spiritual possibilities. The Father's power is our power. The 
laws of the Father, once recognized and appreciated, will not 
only transform our feebleness, but will make us masters of our- 
selves and masters of circumstances. If we can give up self 
and love as Christ loved; if we can live and move and have 
our being and our thought in God, then God will be our God, 
and the soul will be enthroned so securely that the word " im- 
possible " can be eliminated from our vocabulary. Christ did 
that, and disease fled at His touch. He was on the threshold 
of our new spiritual life. His secret was His oneness with our 
Father; and when the shadows fell on His three years of reve- 
lation, and the heavens flung wide their doors to receive Him, 
He said, " He that believeth on me, the works that I do, shall 
he do also; and greater works than these shall he do." A 
hard saying, but gloriously true or He would not have said it. 
Faith and knowledge bring omnipotence within our reach. 

" Ask and it shall be given you ; seek and ye shall find ; 
knock and it shall be opened unto you." St. Matthew VII, 7. 

A BEAUTIFUL WORLD. 

For whether we live, we live unto the Lord: and whether we 
die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live, therefore, or die, 
we are the Lord's. Romans XIV, 8. 

It may be a wicked world in which we live, as some people 
say it is, but it has a keen appreciation of honesty, self-sacrifice, 



458 Book of Knowledge. 

integrity and all other noble qualities of human nature. For 
myself I think it a perfectly satisfactory world, physically 
beautiful and spiritually excellent. I am glad that I was born 
into it, and I shall be willing to leave it not because I am tired 
of, it, but because I firmly believe that the future has something 
better in store for me, and one always ought to be ready to 
part with a coin of copper if he can exchange it for a coin of 
gold. 

Christ the Mediator instilled into the mind and heart new 
principles and faith in the same way that a baker pours yeast 
into the dough. The process of fermentation begins its work 
at once. Its action may be slow, and at certain stages you 
may declare with something like reason that the whole mass 
is worthless and that the experiment is a failure. But there is 
a persistency in yeast which is simply irresistible and at the 
end it will conquer, and the character of the mass will be 
changed for the better ; that is the result of law, a very benefi- 
cent law, by which the unworthy is gotten rid of, and the 
good at last prevails. True there is wickedness in the world, 
plenty of it, and we are once in awhile on the verge of despair. 
We tremble for the future because we forget that God is in 
control of the universe. A convalescent may have pains and 
still be on the road to health. The pains are themselves a 
proof that he is getting well, an incident in his progress toward 
the desired end. In like manner there may be evils in the 
world, for we have not yet attained to moral perfection; but, 
as the earth is speeding on its way through space while we are 
unconscious of any motion, so speed mankind toward " the 
consummation so devoutedly to be wished," and our pessimism 
and cynicism cannot block the way. Christ was more truly 
in our midst to-day than He was in Judea nineteen centuries 
ago, and His influence has an ever-increasing circumference. 
The musician may gather only a small audience at first, and 
people may pass him by indifferently while some may even 
scorn him, but men love music if it is at its best, and the hour 
comes when all the weary and worn and tired and troubled stop 
to listen because their hearts are cheered and their drooping 
spirits are encouraged. Something within responds to the 



Faith and Power. 459 

something without, and the notes that vibrate in the air are 
heard with the rapture of gratitude. The teachings of the 
God Power are not a luxury but a necessity. We may have 
our prejudices or we may revel in agnosticism, but down deep 
in the soul, hidden perhaps under the rubbish of wealth and 
passion and ambition, are longings which cannot be repressed 
and which only the spiritual law can satisfy. Some experience 
is sure to bring a consciousness of that fact, and in that hour 
we shall hasten to Him and the dear angels, or regret that we 
are wilful enough to stay away. The most pitiful man on the 
planet is he who is a stranger to the knowledge of the life here- 
after. " But the natural man receiveth not the things of the 
Spirit of God — for they are foolishness unto Him; neither can 
He know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Cor. 
XI, 14. " He that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he him- 
self is judged of no man/' 1 Cor. XI, 15. 

The world may still be running wild and spending itself for 
what is not worth having, but the good is stronger than ever, 
and evil is growing weaker. Christ's teachings, if lived rightly, 
can provide what we want most — faith in the fatherhood of 
God ; a glimpse of the higher life which can never be forgotten ; 
a quiet resignation that gives us pleasant dreams when we have 
said farewell ; a heart of gladness w i hen we think of the valley 
of shadows ; and wherever we wander or whatever we do, how- 
ever distant we may be from Him, we must come to Him, just 
as the hungry man searches for food or the thirsty man for the 
cool spring. The world is taking long strides in that direction 
now. Heretofore, Christ has been a creed, but He is becoming 
to us the secret of a higher life. The bell in the watch tower 
of human needs is calling us. " Greater things than these 
shall ye do " ; then God is with us, and we can draw on His holy 
messengers whom He sends to us amid the struggles of life. 
We can conquer all things, bring the higher life to our very 
doors, live contentedly, nobly — because our angel loved ones 
are permitted to walk by our side. The philosophy of the God 
Power will make us spiritually hale and hearty, our pulse beat- 
ing in accord with the laws of the universe, and our eyes filled 
with the light of another world. 



460 Book of Knowledge. 

" And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living 
soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." 1 Cor. 

XV, 45. 

PERFECT TRUST. 

Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; Thou shalt 
make me full of joy with Thy countenance. The Acts II, 28. 

Rake away the cold ashes of conceit; put your faith in the 
Holy God Power and love. Seek His will and do it. Then 
revelations will come to you. You will be happy, gentle, 
kindly, sunny — a dhild at heart and a giant to do your work. 
The Christ was filled with God's presence. He knew nothing 
else ; therefore He made the blind to see and the lame to walk, 
and raised the dead to life. He walked in light even when it 
was dark, for the light was within. The God Power was never 
farther off than arm's length, and was subject to his command. 
The Christ Medium was our brother, and shows us what we 
may become when we have a like faith ; and that doctrine will 
be the salvation when you come to understand it. It belongs 
to a higher level of spiritual excellence that we have not yet 
reached, but we are slowly climbing in that direction. 

Perfect trust places the God Power at our disposal. Do 
your duty and bend your shoulders to the grief of the present 
moment in the sweet consciousness that the angels of heaven 
are helping you; and when other sorrows come those helping 
hands will still be there. 

The amount of useless worry in the world is enough to 
make the angels discouraged. To worry over little things 
which are of no account is to spend one's time with a danger- 
ous fever. It is an entirely abnormal condition, and we ought 
to make a special effort to suppress it. It abolishes peace, 
contentment and hopefulness and produces a blind disorder 
which is very much like chaos. The best rule to follow is to 
make the best of things, and if they are wrong, to right them 
so far as lies in our power ; but to meet them, if they cannot be 
righted, with a quiet resignation which gets all the good there 
is in life, and even forces the bad to yield some happy results. 



Faith and Power. 461 

These things are to be considered: if we can command our 
tempers ; if we can kill the habit of fault finding ; and if we can 
choke down the tendency to worry, we shall have taken a long 
stride toward heaven. We shall be in a frame of mind which 
induces physical as well as spiritual health, and we shall be in 
possession of that kind of religion which made the life of Christ 
the wonder of all generations. 

There ought to be one room in each house set apart for 
meditation. Sit there for a short time each day. The angels 
will soon find you out and will keep you company. Your only 
outlook will be an upward one. You will soon find out that 
the world has been shut out with all its cares and troubles ; 
and the quiet reflection which the place suggests will lead you 
to wisdom and strength. Nothing is better or more healthful 
than that kind of self-communion with God and with your 
larger self. 

When the Christ was weary he retired to some lonely spot. 
The world pressed too heavily on his heart and he found relief 
in solitude. We may well follow such an example, and in 
sweet intercourse with heavenly things find strength to bear 
the ills which have fallen to our lot. To be alone is not to be 
lonely, for you have the best of company, even that of Christ 
and the holy angels — your own loved ones. 

" And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was 
altered, and his raiment was white and glistening. 

" And behold, there talked with him two men, which were 
Moses and Elias; who appeared in glory." St. Luke IX, 29, 
30, 31. 

BE COURAGEOUS. 

He that overcometh shall inherit all things: and I will be his 
God and he shall be My son. Revelations XXI, 7. 

Everyone has a right to his own religion if he lives up to it. 
Yet I do not like some of the creeds which are professed in 
the churches because they contain such a poor opinion of human 
nature. After a long experience with my own human nature 
and that of my friends I find myself disinclined to be ashamed 



462 Book of Knowledge. 

of it. On the contrary I am constantly astonished at the 
character of my own longings and aspirations, and at the 
heroic endurance of men and women whom I know to be 
battling with adverse circumstances. Moreover, I am sure 
that not a tithe of the heroism in the world is known to any 
one except God and the holy angels. When we get across the 
river and see the souls of our neighbors, with something more 
than the clearness which a Roentgen ray can afford, we shall 
be amazed at the discoveries that will thrust themselves upon 
us. We shall learn that there is a good deal more moral cour- 
age among our acquaintances than we have credited them 
with. That is one of the surprises that awaits us in heaven. 
I know that divine possibilities are hidden in the average man 
and woman, hidden now, and perhaps with some to remain in 
hiding until they reach the higher life. 

If there is heroism on the battlefield, there is equal heroism 
in many a home which the world knows nothing about, and 
which only God and the angels see. There are fathers who 
grandly struggle against the tide of fate and never lisp the 
secret of their despair, whose young dreams have all faded, but 
who patiently bear their allotted burden with what tries to be 
resignation. There are noble women whose domestic afflic- 
tions of all sorts would crush them if they were not heroines, 
who silently suffer and make the best of their disappointed 
years. They sing in the minor key, but still they sing, and so 
the world thinks them happy when they are only brave. My 
soul goes out to them all, and there are many of them. I know 
there is a spark of the God-head in every one, and that it may 
be fanned into a flame that will fill the whole of life with gen- 
eral heat and enthusiasm. There are nobler elements in us 
than we have ever dreamed of. Whatever there is to do we 
can do it ; whatever there is to bear we can bear it. Borrowing 
our strength from the Almighty we can conquer our circum- 
stances. Trusting in Him we can also trust in ourselves. 
Life will be filled with good cheer when we know that we are 
in the hands of God and our dear angels — our loved ones — and 
that nothing can happen to us that we cannot use for the for- 
mation of a character which will be worthy of immortality. 



Faith and Power. 463 

" By this time all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye 
have love one to another." St. John XIII, 35. 



HIGHER THOUGHTS. 

But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest. Acts 
XXVIII, 22. 

We sometimes speak of certain things as the " necessaries 
of life," and we pass laws to prevent their monopoly by any 
scheming financier. We universally recognize their relation 
to the welfare of society and try to keep them in abundance 
within reach of all. They insure health, strength and happi- 
ness. So carefully do we guard this public policy that any in- 
fringement of it is regarded as a crime. The world is young 
as yet and hardly recognizes the fact that there are " neces- 
saries of life " for the soul as well as for the body. As food 
develops the physical system, so ideas develop the spirit of 
man. It is no more important that you should lay in a stock 
of one than of the other. Men live on their ideas quite as 
much as they do on their bread; as there is a difference in 
food, so there is a difference in thoughts. Some kinds of food 
are so easily assimilated, that the result is physical cheerfulness 
and endurance; other kinds produce weakness and a tendency 
to disease; the normal action of the digestive organs is inter- 
fered with, and the result is depression and inability to cope 
with the difficulties which lie in every one's path, and must be 
removed if we are to pursue our way to success in life. 

All this is equally true of ideas. Some are exhilarating, 
stimulating in their nature, uplifting, making us optimistic, 
hopeful, ready for any fortune that may befall. They nourish 
the soul, make it athletic, take away all dread of the future, 
give us what the racer has who feels sure that he is going to 
win the prize, and whose anticipation of victory adds to the 
speed of his feet. Tell me frankly what your controlling 
thought is, what kind of thinking you do every day, and I will 
tell you what kind of a man you are, whether you are making 
friends or enemies, how you will meet the emergencies which 



464 Book of Knowledge. 

come into all human experiences, whether affliction will em- 
bitter you or mature, sweeten and ripen you. We are what 
we think. Your chief thought is as truly the master of your 
destiny as the captain is master of the vessel which he guides 
through storm and drifting currents. Your happiness depends 
not half as much on your surroundings as on yourself. Yet 
some natures, I know, depend on their surroundings. It is 
possible to have nothing and yet to have all, and possible to 
have all and yet very little. A cheerful heart can lighten the 
heaviest burden and make it comparatively easy to bear. If 
you would discover what a man's life is worth, either to him- 
self or to others, you need not look at his bank account, for 
that is no sure indication. If you can find out what thoughts 
he cherishes, you will learn the whole story. 

It is also true that some ideas produce spiritual depression. 
There is a dyspepsia of the soul as well as of the body. Your 
thoughts may force you into a perfect purgatory and keep you 
there until you change your mental outlook. The apple seed 
never grows to become a pear tree, and the low thought never 
results in a high life. The level of your thinking decides the 
level of your living, because one is cause and the other effect. 
Love, and you will be loved ; hate, and you will be hated. Your 
attitude toward others is the sure indication of their attitude 
toward you, and the way in which you bear yourself toward the 
world is the product of your conviction as to your duty to be 
kind and helpful, or your determination to selfishly get all you 
can, at whatever cost to others. 

At this point I open the New Testament and find there a 
philosophy of life which startles and amazes me. We are told 
that the good God has a regard for our welfare; that a place 
has been provided for a continuance of our labors after this 
short life has ended ; that Jacob's ladder still stands ; and angels 
are constantly ascending and descending; that human experi- 
ence of all sorts is spiritual education; that unseen hands are 
always stretched out for our protection and guidance, and that 
nothing can happen to us which may not be used as a stepping 
stone to higher things. 

One trembles with gratitude in the presence of such elevat- 



Faith and Power. 465 

ing thoughts. A vista is opened which almost wearies the 
eyes by the radiance of the path we are called upon to tread. 
That path leads through showers of tears ; through the storms 
and tempests of affliction; through loneliness and struggle; 
through tasks which will tax our strength to the utmost; and 
through bereavements which will wring the heart to the point 
of breaking. All these, for some mysterious reason, are the 
" necessaries of life," and every one who has lived in the mortal 
has tasted the bitter and the sweet. 

" While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the 
things which are not seen : for the things that are seen are 
temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." 
2 Cor. IV, 18. 



IN THE IMAGE OF GOD. 
Let us make man after our likeness. Genesis I, 26. 

In its essence the soul is like its Creator. The best part of 
us is what God has breathed into us, and the worst part is the 
result of our conceit, that we know better than He what to 
work for and how to work for it. It may be a bold figure of 
speech which declares that we are made in His image, and yet 
the maker is to be found in whatever he makes. By means of 
a focusing glass you can light your candle with the gathered 
rays of the sun. The burning candle is not the sun, and it 
would be foolish to compare the two, and yet the candle can 
fill a room with light even as the sun fills the universe. 

The finite and the infinite, the bounded and the boundless, 
the soul and God are related to each other in a very mysterious 
way. If God is in me, then He and I must work together, and 
I must believe that thereby, and in no other way, the greatest 
good will come to me. When I analyze myself I learn that I 
am so made that all the varied experiences of life, ranging from 
the bliss of the upper register to the tears and struggles of the 
lower are part of a great plan by which I am to be educated, 
developed and changed from my present crudity into a possible 
perfection. If, then, I can place myself on the right point of 



466 Book of Knowledge. 

view, I can no more help governing my life by the highest 
moral and spiritual principle than I can help drinking at a 
fountain when I am thirsty. To govern my life in this way is 
perfectly natural, and if, through any motive I govern it in any 
other way, I not only injure myself, but am acting along unnat- 
ural lines and using unnatural methods. I am out of harmony 
with God, and equally out of harmony with my best interests. 

Spiritualism is not a mystery, it is simply common sense. 
I am not at all concerned with your dogmas; cherish them or 
reject them as you please. The Creator has no regard for 
such things. The member of an orchestra may have notions 
of his own about the strings of his instrument; he and I may 
agree or we may not ; it is a matter of no sort of consequence. 
But when he takes his place on the platform it is all-important 
that his instrument should be in tune, and that he should cor- 
rectly play the score that is set before him. 

What, then, is evil, and how does it originate? Examine 
yourself critically and you will find an easy answer. We are 
told that men are totally depraved, but nobody believes it. We 
all know better than that. Not total depravity, but total mis- 
understanding, is the root of our difficulty. If we saw things 
as they are, if we had a full and complete appreciation of the 
inevitable effects of wrong-doing, we could never be persuaded 
to do wrong any more than we could be persuaded to thrust 
our hand into the fire. No man wants to hurt himself, and if 
he makes a mistake as to the proper means of getting the 
benefit he reaps a harvest of sorrow and disappointment. But, 
dear readers, look to the Creator and to the loved ones in 
the beyond — ask from your soul to be assisted. We all know 
that out of evil comes good, so let us all ask for guidance, not 
from the lips but from the soul. 

" John answered and said, ' A man can receive nothing ex- 
cept it be given him from heaven.' " St. John III, 27. 



Faith and Power. 467 



WHAT WOULD YOU ASK? 

Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, 
but also in the sight of men. 2 Cor. VIII, 21. 

Suppose you were the happy possessor of an Aladdin Lamp 
and that by rubbing- it, as did the son of the Chinese widow, 
you could command the services of a dozen genii who would 
use their power to gratify your wishes, what would you ask 
for? What do you think is the most desirable thing in life? 
For that, of course, is what you would like to have. Take a 
broad view of human possibilities, look far and wide, look high 
and deep ; what is there in this strange and contradictory world 
with its symphonies and its jangles that seems most desirable 
as a personal possession? If you could not have all things, 
and so offset the evil of one with the good of another, but 
might choose a single gift, what would it be? Wealth, for in- 
stance? Its purchasing power is marvellous. The love of 
money is not merely the root of all evil; it is also the founda- 
tion of nearly all that is noble in society. People who have 
no desire to acquire a fortune are not far removed from bar- 
barism. Money is the providential impulse of human progress. 
The scorn for money and money-making which is heard in 
some quarters seems to me to be not only unwise, but wholly 
thoughtless, for the world would hardly be worth living in 
were it not for what wealth will buy and what it can do. Our 
ships sail to every quarter of the globe, and furnish us with 
the products of every clime. Our railroads span the conti- 
nents and bring distant provinces into our immediate neighbor- 
hood. The telephone and the telegraph make everybody 
accessible and dispense with worry and delay; our public 
schools are training places for our children ; our public libraries 
are storehouses of intellectual food for the masses ; sanitariums 
and asylums are retreats for the unfortunate. It is the 
struggle for wealth which rouses the activities of the com- 
munity and develops that inventive genius which surrounds us 
with increasing comforts and conveniences. What I am just 
now interested in, however, is not money getting in its com- 



468 Book of Knowledge. 

mercial, but in its individual aspect. What it does for the 
whole is one thing; what it does for the unit is quite another. 
When it is a healthy exercise it is a blessing, but when it be- 
comes a disease it is a curse, because it is fatal to the noble 
qualities of character. To get money simply to live on is very 
different from getting it in order to satisfy our greed, for greed 
is close to animalism. I know nothing that is so hurtful to a 
young man as a large inheritance. It does not tend to make 
him great and generous, but to make him small. I have noticed 
that when a man is determined to be rich at any cost he is a 
very poor and uncompanionable sort of creature. If a man 
has enough to live on he has no need for more, and if he wants 
more it narrows and shrinks his soul. There are so many 
things that no amount of money can buy. I want fidelity in 
friendship; I want purity in love; I want happiness and har- 
mony in the home. These things I must not seek in a gold 
mine, for they are not there. When death comes, even the 
monarch is only a common man. His jeweled crown, his 
stately palaces, his sovereignty which runs to the limit of his 
kingdom, count for absolutely nothing, and at the bedside of 
his beloved he is no better than a peasant. Golconda cannot 
purchase resignation or contentment for any living soul. Tears 
are tears and sobs are sobs both in the palace and the hovel. 
I love money, but if I can choose only one blessing I will not 
choose that. It is desirable, beyond doubt, but not most desir- 
able. I must leave it behind when my friends close my eyes 
in sleep, and I am not foolish enough to spend my life in get- 
ting what will slip from my grasp at the last moment. I am 
going to heaven, and as there is no money there I must try to 
get something Which I can take with me. I say, therefore, 
that a man's character, his qualities, are the real if not the only 
foundation of happiness. It is better to be strong in your 
heart than in your purse. An upright man can walk through 
the darkness of the churchyard without fear or trembling. 
Just before I slumber at the last I would rather hear an angel's 
voice bidding me welcome than be told that I should die a 
millionaire. In the last analysis, if you sift the matter to the 
bottom, the only man of worth is the man of good deeds and 



Faith and Power. 469 

lofty faith. You can exaggerate the value of your bank ac- 
count, but not the value of your trust in God. 

If I saw one standing on the threshold of life and eager 
for the struggle, I should say to him, money is good, but God 
is better. Work hardest for what is noblest. Not greed, but 
faith, will stand you in good stead by and by. Make your life 
sweet with good deeds and pure thoughts. Set your days to 
the music of righteousness. Be a man, and when you reach 
the home beyond you can look up and say, " I did my very 
best." 

" For the invisible things of him from the creation of the 
world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that 
are made, even His temporal power and God-head : so that they 
are without excuse." Romans I, 20. 



CHAPTER XX. 

WHO ARE THE CHRISTIANS? 

Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. St. 
John XV, 14. 

There have been many definitions of the word " Christian." 
Some of them have puzzled us, and some have seemed to verge 
on the ludicrous ; others have been purely theological — as, for 
instance, that one must take his belief from this, that, or the 
other church formula — whilst still others have been so narrow 
and lean and meagre that one felt as though he were parting 
with his self-respect in accepting them. When in doubt on a 
subject of this kind, the safest course is to listen to no one but 
the Master. The New Testament is a very much broader book 
than the average man thinks it. The Christ is a totally differ- 
ent personality from the general conception of Him, so much 
larger — more human, more divine, more everything — that the 
attempt to confine Him within the limits of any theological 
statements reminds us of a babe in swaddling clothes trying to 
wrestle with a giant. Neither the word " God " nor the word 
" Christ " has ever yet been defined without misrepresenting 
both the one and the other. But if we sit at the feet of Jesus, 
and, shutting out all else, listen simply to that one marvellous 
voice, we can hardly help being strangely startled. Intellec- 
tually, He not merely puzzles us but convinces us that He had 
a profounder knowledge of spiritual laws than we ever dreamed 
of. I know of nothing more stimulating, more exhilarating, 
more encouraging than to ponder, either separately or in 
groups, the statements that fell from His lips. You open your 
eyes in absolute wonder; and though at first you are over- 
whelmed with incredulity, you come in good time to feel that 
your poor little philosophy is so remote from His grand and 
uplifting revelations that you are like one who twangs a single 



Who are the Christians f 471 

string of an untuned harp while He sways the whole magnifi- 
cent orchestra that plays the symphony of human life. 

Too much theology spoils our spiritual digestion, for Chris- 
tianity is a spirit, an attitude toward God — a mysterious and 
glorious something which is omnipotent but beyond the reach 
of exact expression. Let me take a single example out of a 
possible thousand. We think of Christ as the Redeemer of 
our souls. That is true ; but He was also the Redeemer of our 
bodies. He evidently believed in sturdy health as well as in 
sturdy morality. He did not approve of a sick world, and 
enunciated principles which, if strictly followed, would make 
the whole world well. We all long for health, but seek it 
blindly. He intimated that strong faith will ultimately result 
in producing a strong physical system; that if we were what 
God intended us to be in soul we should be what we would like 
to be in body. 

When He put His fingers on the blind man's eyes and 
restored their sight; when He cured one stricken with the 
palsy; when by a word of command He raised the dead; the 
audience were wonder-struck. They were ignorant of a whole 
domain of law with which He was well acquainted. They were 
school children listening to a teacher, who spoke not to them 
only but to the farthest generation after their time. When His 
disciples expressed something like alarm, He told them that 
" greater things than these shall ye do," and it is fair to say 
that He included among His disciples those of all ages and 
climes who followed Him. I know I am making marvellous 
statements, and you may shrink from accepting them, but the 
everlasting truth is that the whole world is slowly, only too 
slowly, approaching Him, and only too slowly absorbing the 
science of moral and physical health as one and inseparable. 

Belief in God; love of God; faith in God, covers the body 
and spirit alike. If the world were wholly good it would be 
wholly well. The machinery of muscles and nerves is second- 
ary while the soul is primary, and a man's religion, if it is gen- 
uine, vigorous, simple and unchangeable, will tend to drive 
disease into the background. 

The true Christian, then, is the man who is working along 



472 Book of Knowledge 

the lines which Christ laid down. No matter by what name he 
is called ; no matter under what roof he worships ; no matter 
to what organ peal he bows in humble penitence and gratitude ; 
God is his God if his life is honest, truthful, loving, charitable ; 
he is the friend of Christ and Christ is his friend. It seems a 
hard world and a cold world in which we live. There are pangs 
and tears and struggles; but the struggles shall be overcome, 
the tears shall cease to flow, the pangs shall disappear when 
man can come to adopt the philosophy of the Christ teachings 
and live according to its requirements. 

You cannot make good music with an instrument until you 
tune it. Christ gives you the pitch, and if you take that for 
your keynote you will make music in your heart and in your 
life. Bitterness will die out, and resignation will gradually 
give way to the mastery of events. We do not yet know this 
Christ, but when we do we shall be transformed and trans- 
figured, and it will be only a glad and welcome step from earth 
to heaven. 

" Continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanks- 
giving." Colossians IV, 2. 

" Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us 
a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ." Colos- 
sians IV, 3. 

THE BEYOND. 

But it is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour, 
Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and hath brought life and 
immortality to light. 2 Timothy I, 10. 

I had a serious conversation the other day with a scientific 
man, a surgeon, and he had one statement which is so remark- 
able that I would like to speak of it at some length. He had, 
of course, seen many men in their last earthly moments, and 
he declared that what he called philosophy, which includes a 
doubt or denial of continued existence, would enable one to die 
as comfortably and serenely as religion — at least that was 
his experience and observation. He did not know anything 
about Spiritualism. 



Who are the Christians? 473 

I can easily believe that under certain circumstances, not 
knowing the spiritual laws, a man may welcome an eternal 
sleep as preferable to the life which has furnished him nothing 
but disappointment, failure and suffering. Such a man, how- 
ever, is in an abnormal state of mind and is not a fair repre- 
sentative of his fellows. I can also conceive of one who is 
utterly reckless, and who lacks a full appreciation of the value 
of a soul, meeting death with a grim kind of courage, without 
any kind of hope of waking up after he falls asleep. He, also, 
would be an exception to the general rule. 

But that the average man, living an average life, is willing 
to surrender himself to utter obliteration, and does it cheerfully 
and without a pang, is to me quite beyond credibility. I am 
not, myself, made in any such mould, and there is no reason 
to suppose that I am, in this respect, different from others. 
That the thoughts of annihilation can exert a soothing influ- 
ence on a dying man looks like a contradiction of terms; and 
that the religion which fills one with hope is no better than the 
so-called philosophy which denies all hope, is so wholly un- 
reasonable that I open my eyes in wonder when the assertion 
is made. 

It will be easily granted, even by atheism, that if there were 
another life the certainty of it would give us good cheer in the 
hour of our departure. I am sure, therefore, that a man who 
has faith in immortality, other things being equal, can meet his 
fate more calmly, can say farewell less regretfully than he who 
says good-night with the feeling that the night is to last for- 
ever. 

The last thought is copper, the first is golden; and if it be 
true that men are just as satisfied with copper as with gold, 
then I have read the world wrong. Stand by a grave. Life is 
only a prologue and has ended. The love which you have 
given has snapped like an overstrained rope. No hope ; noth- 
ing but darkness. Is it well with you, my brother and sister? 
Are you resigned? Can you be of good cheer? The last note 
of life's music has been heard, and the soul that uttered it has 
died with the body. That is one picture. 

Listen once more. Love never dies. The dear one is in a 



474 Book of Knowledge. 

better land and awaits your coming. Hearts need not break 
at separation, because the hope of reunion is ever present. 
Heaven is close at hand, and there will be other handclasps in 
other climes. Now it is indeed well with you, and there is no 
bitterness in your tears. This picture is better than the other, 
and it is a true picture. 

Some of us are getting well along toward the autumn of life. 
The first frosts have already come, and there is that in the air 
presaging the approach of winter. Some of our heart's best 
treasures have taken their journey before us, but our love for 
them grows warmer and kindlier, as the swift days, like the 
flight of birds, go by. We face the inevitable and ask our- 
selves when shall we go on our journey. We must be very 
thoughtless if we have not done this a thousand times and 
received some sort of answer. I have yet to find the man who 
wouldn't be happier and better if he had more of Christ's spirit 
in his life and heart. I have perfect faith that men and women 
can reach to God's higher life by doing "unto others as you 
would have them do unto you." Until that consummation is 
reached, my observation shows me, and my experience with my 
own soul proves it, that an estrangement from God cannot 
produce as grand results as a secure confidence in Him. If I 
am sure that I am travelling along an upward road, and as my 
outward eye grows dim my inward eye will see the home which 
is my ultimate destination, a home in which I shall once more 
see my beloved ones and old friends, I can think of Death with 
a smile, and even hold out my hands to Him in welcome. 

But " if the end is the end," if they are all gone forever and 
1 am going the same way, I face events in a different state of 
mind and wonder sadly why I have lived at all. The brightest, 
holiest and most inspiring thing under the sun is a belief, a 
knowledge, that we shall wake up after what we call death. It 
gives us courage, broadens our shoulders, and makes us rich 
in anticipation. The other life is better than this, and when 
there we shall complete the work which we leave unfinished, as 
the shadows fall on our short and troubled earthly career. 

" But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the 
hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our 
glory." i Cor. II, 7. 



Who are the Christians? 475 



WE BELONG TO TWO WORLDS. 

The world passe th away and the lust thereof. He that doeth 
the will of God abideth forever. 1 John II, 17. 

" I am a man of the world ; " that is your boast but it is really 
nothing to boast of. You have dissipated one-half of your 
heritage, or perhaps you have never known anything but the lost 
half. The ideal man is not simply a man of the world, but a man 
of two worlds. Until he recognizes that fact and governs him- 
self accordingly, he cannot sing his song with a clear voice or do 
his own soul justice. A genuine life must have two worlds in 
view all the time. This lower world is man's field of action, in 
which he shows his mettle, and in which he not only forms his 
character, just as a boy learns his lesson at school, but adds to 
the aggregate strength or weakness of his fellows. If he is a 
blaze, others will light their candles at his fire. If he is merely 
cold ashes, they will blow into people's eyes and so blind them 
that they cannot see the truth. 

The other world is a reservoir from which he draws his daily 
inspiration, patience with which to achieve under difficulties, hope, 
cheerfulness, spiritual repose and resignation, and which sweetens 
the soul which otherwise would be embittered. 

WTien a man is only half himself he is satisfied with to-day, 
its ambitions and pleasures. When he is his whole self this 
world is too narrow for his soul and he finds happiness in the 
contemplation of another sphere, which will furnish him the 
opportunity to attain his manifest destiny. 

It seems very odd to hear a man argue that he is under no 
obligation to obey a God whom he has never publicly confessed. 
He is a man of the world, neither knows nor cares anything about 
religion or the higher existence ; therefore he claims the right to 
do as he pleases. 

Now it is a man's business to know something about the laws 
of the world he lives in, and it will not help him in the least to 
shrug his shoulders and declare he does not believe in those laws. 
The stern fact is, that the laws will act whether he believes in 
them or not. They are quite independent of anything he may or 



476 Book of Knowledge. 

may not believe, and after awhile he will learn that it is very 
much more to his interest to know what they are and give strict 
heed to them than to ignore them or deny their existence. He 
sees this in regard to physical law and is very careful about 
breaking it. When standing on the edge of a precipice, he may 
deny the existence of gravitation, but he will not take the leap 
and thus show the courage of his convictions. The law does not 
care a jot or tittle about his personal theories. It will do its work 
in spite of his arguments and he will certainly suffer the con- 
sequences of his rashness. 

The spiritual law is equally rigid, though it acts more slowly. 
For that reason some men are deceived. You may not believe 
in purity of body but still the revenges of time are awful. You 
may ignore all moral principles ; you may even succeed so far as 
to make a fortune based on evil practices ; but when you investi- 
gate your own character, if you ever dare to do so, you will be 
forced to acknowledge that you know little about the sweetest 
and most reposeful and joyous part of life, and " that you have 
been feeding on " the husks which the swine did eat." 

I know of no spectacle more painful to contemplate than that 
of a man who has persistently used the world for purposes of 
self-gain, ignoring all obligations of honesty, charity, generosity, 
and then in his old age sees himself just as he is — dwarfed, 
twisted, incapable of holy emotions or high inspiration; a poor 
miserable creature, who has lived a mistake and reached a period 
beyond which recovery is impossible, so far as this life is con- 
cerned. For such a man to see himself just as he is, to measure 
his own exact weight, to know vividly how he is regarded by his 
fellow-men, to be conscious that his example, as bad as it is bril- 
liant, has led scores astray, that must be a doom too dreadful for 
words to express. I have heard a great deal about hell, but that 
man could tell me of more horrors than I have ever conceived. 

To have your soul take you in hand and show you how you 
have abused it, to have some angel paint the picture of what you 
might have been and then force you by divine compulsion to 
compare it with what you really are, that would be simply awful. 
If you answer the charges of the angel by saying that you are a 
man of the world, the reply would be forthcoming, like a peal of 



Who are the Christians? 477 

thunder, " You were not born to be a man of the world, but a man 
of God." If you know enough to use this world, you should 
know enough to use it in such a way that if there is any other 
world, you will be fitted to enter it without shame. No: there 
is but one way to live and that is to live justly. This world is 
large and wide, but there is not a spot where a man can hide 
from the moral consequences of dishonesty, " But there is nothing 
covered up that shall not be revealed, and hid that shall not be 
known." St. Luke XII, 2. 

A noble character is not born ; it is made. Even on the low 
plane of pure expediency it is better to be true to yourself than 
to be false. You cannot ignore a tornado, you must protect your- 
self against it. You cannot ignore God or His laws, for they re- 
fuse to be ignored. Spiritualism is only another word for common 
sense. It is not a mystery ; is is a plain and simple fact. If you 
live grandly, nobly, justly; if you can look the world in the face 
without a blush, knowing that the world can see your soul and 
your motives as well as your actions, you have that kind of a 
religion which is contained in the Sermon on the Mount, and it 
will suffice for here and hereafter. 

" And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing 
words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and 
of power." 1 Cor. II, 4. 



A NEW FAITH. 

My son, attend to my words: for they are life unto those 
that find them and health to all their flesh. Proverbs IV, 20-22. 

There is one thing which impresses me more and more, 
namely, the relations between our frame of mind and our bodily 
health. Our usefulness in the world, our success in life, and the 
degree of happiness we enjoy depend very much more on what is 
going on within us than our surroundings. Not how much money 
you have, but what you habitually think about, is the decisive 
factor in your career. 

The history of the Church furnishes us with a startling illus- 
tration. Theological evolution from the low level of discour- 



478 Book of Knowledge. 

aging dogma, to the higher level of inspiring doctrine, means the 
development of a larger faith. We never give up a thought 
unless we have something better to take its place. 

The world is not moving in the direction of agnosticism, but 
of wider and more wholesome truth. A backward step is as im- 
possible as for a flood tide to check its upward flow. Men love 
the truth and truth they must and will have. If what we were 
taught will not stand the test of our great knowledge we rever- 
ently lay it aside, as having fulfilled its mission. In doing this 
we simply prove that a child of God can never rest until he has 
reached God Himself. There are many doctrines in which our 
fathers believed, and in which they found comfort, but we can 
no more accept them than we can wear their quaint garments. 
We crave something different and better. We have more light 
than they and see some things more clearly. They were right 
then, but not right in our day. 

Would we be true to ourselves if we insisted on continuing 
the social customs of the last century? The telephone and tele- 
graph, the modern modes of locomotion, the printing press, which 
rains literature on every corner of the globe, have given us a 
new outlook. We call that progress and any attempt to revive 
the past by reviling the present would meet with universal pro- 
test. What we have is a thousand times better than anything our 
forefathers enjoyed. 

Into our new life have come many conveniences, and we have a 
divine right to make use of them, even though their use involves 
a surrender of old methods. The world is larger for us than it 
was for our fathers. We believe more, and our belief is stronger, 
but it is different. So in our theology the final truth has not yet 
been fully reached. And it is a thrilling fact that our larger 
vision results in a general cheerfulness and hopefulness, which 
effect not only the mind but the body. To think of God, for ex- 
ample, as a stern and relentless law-giver who, " for his own 
pleasure," as the old phrase runs, elects some to endless happiness 
and others to endless misery, is to make it very difficult to wor- 
ship him with love instead of fear. 

There is no exuberance of joy in such a thought and no 
grateful spontaneity of action. It presents a religion of gloom 



Who are the Christians? 479 

and spiritual despondency is the natural result. When we read 
the words of the Christ in the light of a more advanced scholar- 
ship, however, and discover that, while He is a law-maker and 
a law-giver, He is, more than all and above all, a Father who 
searches for the lost sheep after the ninety and nine have been 
folded, there is a reaction which makes Spiritualism the most de- 
sirable thing in the world. The whole outlook is changed, the 
sky brightens, living is a delight, and even dying is a privilege. 
Such a discovery sets our blood tingling, and every heart beat in 
peace, confidence and love. The state of mind in which we know 
that all is well, since the Light is with us, is a physical as truly as 
it is a spiritual remedy. It is ozone, it is oxygen, invigorating 
and health-providing. 

The old ideas of the other world have also been invaded and 
conquered by the new revelation. Death was once a monster of 
such frightful mien that we clung to life in utter despair, and 
heaven was such an artificial and unnatural place of abode that 
no amount of faith could make us glad to go. St. Paul's words 
were ringing in the air, " To die is to live," but they were never 
heard, or if heard were not trusted. We parted with our dear 
ones and it seemed like an eternal farewell. Our hearts broke, 
and if with tearful eyes we cried, " Thy will be done/' the fact 
that the heart was broken forced us to clothe ourselves in 
deepest black. Think of black as a symbol of a glorious resurrec- 
tion ! It is sacrilege ; it is the emblem of a serious misunderstand- 
ing. But all that is of the past. The sun shines now as never 
before. We have climbed to the truth of the communication be- 
tween the two worlds. Our whole attitude toward the future is 
changed. We still weep, for our temporary separation is sad, 
but there is a rainbow in the sky, which tells of fair weather on 
the morrow. The pilgrim who walked by our side has been sud- 
denly ordered to a station, which we shall reach by and by, and 
when we arrive those loving arms will be about us once more, 
and the severed relations will be renewed. We have learned to 
be glad that the struggle for him is over, for he is now in the 
restful shadow of the immortal life, to which we also are hasten- 
ing. Such thoughts as these make religion a boundless joy. 
There is no gloom, no fathomless grief, no depressing mystery in 



480 Book of Knowledge. 

it. If we have hitherto lived in shadow, we should rejoice when 
the sun creeps above the hill-tops and dissipates the darkness. 

That kind of religion has its effect on the body, also, and we 
learn to live healthfully, as well as happily. It is the religion 
of Christ, and we shall never be at our best until we accept it. 
" For ye may all prophesy, one by one, that all may learn, and all 
may be comforted." i Cor. XIV, 31. 



MAKING THE BEST OF THINGS. 
Be content with such things as ye have. Hebrews XIII, 5. 

I do not suppose that any one is perfectly satisfied with his 
surroundings. There is no station in life which can furnish us 
with contentment. I have not yet seen a man who could truth- 
fully say he would not in some respects change his environment 
if he could, under the conviction that if it were changed he would 
be a better developed, a stronger and happier soul. That is a very 
startling fact, and one which has attached itself to every genera- 
tion since the first created being opened his eyes on this beautiful 
world, or listened to the music of the wind as it used the branches 
of the trees for harp strings. Moreover, I judge that the fact 
will remain one of the chief characteristics of human nature, 
until the last generation enters the shadow that keeps the other 
world from view. I sometimes wonder what kind of a creature 
he would be who had just what he wanted, and all he wanted. 
Would he be happy or would he be miserable? I confess I am 
unable to answer the question. The condition of affairs would 
be so different from anything we have experienced that it is im- 
possible to say what the result would be. 

Even when I think of heaven I cannot understand why there 
should not be longings and even anxieties, provided there is 
progress. A soul that has nothing more to attain, which has 
reached the end of its tether, is to me inconceivable. I like to 
think of the other life as the continuance of this life, and of my- 
self as stepping from narrow to large opportunities when I die, 
and if this be so I must be brave and strong in heaven in order 



Who are the Christians? 481 

to make use of the gifts of God which the angels will lay at my 
feet. 

I lay down this principle, therefore, that so far as in us lies 
we must influence our environment instead of allowing it to in- 
fluence us, just as a bed of roses throws its perfume on the air. 

I have known many a man to be crushed because his home 
was not all it should have been and many a woman broken-hearted 
because of inharmony in the household, and I have tried to dis- 
cover the remedy. Is it possible to endure the ills of life in such 
a spirit that we shall not be harmed by them, that we shall even 
grow better and purer through their adverse influence? 

If this is God's world and not the evil one's, and if there is 
no lack of wisdom in the structure of the soul, we ought to be 
able to hold our own against all odds, for otherwise our life is 
simply a cruelty, and our chief sorrow is that we were born into it. 
Now it is not probable that any change can be made in your 
environment, but it is certainly possible so to alter your attitude 
toward it, that you will learn how to make the best of it, and 
that is the most important of all secrets. If you worry over the in- 
evitable and the unavoidable, you simply waste your time and your 
energy and you break your heart. The question is not how to 
get rid of the disagreeable, but how to become independent of it, 
and to live your own life in spite of it. The more you kick 
against the pricks the more you harm yourself. Sometimes you 
can climb over a wall when you cannot knock it down. If you 
neither climb over it nor knock it down, stay on the side where 
you are and see if you can make a garden spot of it. Enjoy what 
you can, and don't allow the grinding ills of life to disturb you 
any more than can be helped. 

All this means that you are to depend on yourself and not on 
your surroundings for your happiness. If you can get any com- 
fort from outside, enjoy it and be thankful, but you must find 
your chief joy in the consciousness that you are doing your duty 
as you understand it, and are helping others, whenever the chance 
is offered. You must manufacture your heaven in the workshop 
of your own heart. Take what comes in the spirit of one who 
feels that the " God Power " is with you and gives you not only 
a full measure of sympathy, but also the strength to endure 



482 Book of Knowledge. 

calmly, patiently and bravely. That state of mind will induce 
spiritual and also physical health. 

It is easy for me to tell you to rise above the jarring inhar- 
monies in your environment and to live in your own thoughts 
and purposes, but the task is an extremely difficult one, I know. 
At the same time, it is what the spiritual laws teach us, and the 
angels who bring us good cheer till we reach the beyond. The 
secret of living well is to live in peace, and to live in peace we 
must have peace in our own hearts. It is what we give to others 
which makes us happy, rather than what we demand from them. 
In a word, life is not worth living, unless we ourselves make it so. 

" Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation : the spirit 
indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." St. Matthew XXVI, 41. 



GUARD YOUR THOUGHTS. 
What thinkest thou, Simon f Matthew XVII, 25. 

If thoughts are forces, then we must select them with great 
care. Our thoughts are to our lives what steam is to the engine. 
If the steam is under intelligent control, the hum of the manu- 
factory will be like agreeable music and the machinery will 
accomplish a definite and desirable purpose. On the contrary, 
if the steam is not properly harnessed, there is sure to be a dis- 
aster sooner or later. 

The way a man thinks decides the way he lives. It is as 
impossible for pure thoughts to produce an impure life, as for 
vinegar to resemble honey to the taste. A thief cannot enjoy 
a spiritual religion any more than an honest man can enjoy 
burglary. In the long run a man will live as he thinks. Give me 
the thoughts that you cherish most kindly and it is like giving 
me the minor and major premises of a proposition — the con- 
clusion is logically inevitable. Those thoughts are as certain to 
make or unmake you before your sun goes down as an effect is 
certain to follow a cause. Give me the power to sow what 
thoughts I please in your mind and you put into my hands your 
destiny here and hereafter. Examine yourself critically and you 
will discover that your moral attitude exactly accords with the 






Who are the Christians? 483 

kind of thoughts you entertain. This is an appalling fact of psy- 
chological science, and the action of the law is as inexorable as 
the law of gravitation. No man can think high and live low, or 
think low and live high. 

A strong emotion, sudden fear, for example, will send the 
blood through the body like water in a mill race. It controls the 
body as perfectly as a giant handles a child. Even the physical 
features take on a new expression, and the fact of inward terror 
is made visible in the face. The body is a mere puppet which the 
inner man governs at will and it is more obedient than a slave. If 
a man cherishes the vice of avarice or dissipation or selfishness, 
to such an extent that the habit becomes chronic, a chemical 
change takes place in his molecules and the expression of his 
countenance indicates what is going on within. I am told there 
are in the galleries of Florence two busts of Nero. The first is 
a sweet child and the face is beautiful; it bears the stamp of 
innocence. It is a pleasure to look at it. The second is that of 
a youth who had abandoned himself to his passions and the lines 
which indicate it are as plain to the observer as the furrows in 
a plowed field. The face is repulsive and you turn from it with 
something like disgust. Health and happiness are founded on 
wholesome thoughts. Think toward God and you become God- 
like. Think evil, and every pore is a wide open door through 
which disease may enter, the kind of disease which contaminates 
all who come in contact with you. If the people of the world 
were really Christian, we should be strong, hale and hearty, and 
our very bodies would become ideal. Nothing can save us but 
by opening our souls to the God Power and the spiritual laws, 
the Christ teachings. He disclosed the secret to the universe. He 
must have been physically perfect, because He was spiritually 
perfect. The laws of nature were on His side because He 
was on their side. You can never be your best self, therefore, 
until you place your thoughts on the higher existence, and 
thus benefiting all with whom you come in contact, whether 
it be by words or deeds. This rule applies also to our environ- 
ments; you can be happy and useful under any circumstances, 
if you will fill them with spiritual purposes. Greed and 
envy and selfishness are the bane of our human life. We long 



484 Book of Knowledge. 

for what we have not and are thus unfitted to do the best with 
what we have. We live in a dream of what we hope to acquire, 
and are always restless, uncomfortable and discontented. If we 
can persuade ourselves that we can be happy with what surrounds 
us; that our mission is to get as much out of life as is possible, 
instead of worrying because others have more than we have; 
finding fault with Providence and our ill luck, and reaping the 
misery which such thoughts always bring, we would change all 
our life and be content to wait till our loved ones in the higher 
life would be ready to welcome us to the life eternal; teaching 
in this life, " Love ye one another." It was and is so with Christ 
the Mediator. Love was the burden of His speech; love for 
all; the poor, the oppressed, the criminal. A love which forces 
you to cease from quarrelling, from cherishing an unkind thought 
toward any one, even your enemy. You must love, not hate; 
first, for God's sake, then for the enemy's sake, and lastly, for 
your own sake ; then : 

" Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith." 2 Cor. 
XIII, 5. 

" If we live in the spirit, let us walk in the spirit." Galatians 
V,2 5 . 

A HAPPY RELIGION. 

Hide me under the shadow of Thy wings. Psalms XVII, 8. 

If I were to search the world for the secret of a useful and es- 
pecially of a cheerful life, I should end my journey at Spiritualism. 
I might bivouac for a short sojourn in the lands of Mohammed, 
Zoroaster, Confucius and Buddha, but I would build my house 
for a permanent residence on the shore of Spiritualism. 

I cannot get rid of the fact that between the time when the 
new-born child says, " Good morning," and the time when the 
decrepid old man says " Good night," there are many disagree- 
able experiences ; many struggles which will tax all my resources ; 
many disappointments which naturally make me resentful; many 
profound sorrows which throw a shadow, as when the sun creeps 
behind a cloud and leaves the landscape in gloom. It requires 
no second thought on my part to assure myself that what has hap- 



Who are the Christians? 485 

pened to others will happen to me and that no skill or wisdom 
can change that fact. I may smile but I must weep; I may be 
rich, but I must go through a Gethsemane of some kind, I may be 
famous, but I must bear some heart-breaking burdens. In peas- 
ant's rags or royal robes my fate finds me. Its demands are in- 
exorable. 

The one great question for me to settle as soon as possible, 
therefore, is whether I shall be the servile, dogged and bitter 
slave of my fate, or whether, by some means to be discovered, my 
fate and I can come to such terms with each other that, instead 
of being soured by life, I shall be sweetened, mellowed and 
ripened. If I can do the latter the secret is mine, and having 
found it I would not part with it for all that may be offered in 
exchange. 

In the Old World there were some philosophers who looked 
life in the face and set their teeth together in defiance. They had 
no higher law to guide them, but like true stoics bade destiny 
do its worst. To them it was a hateful thing to be born and the 
only good came when they fell into their last sleep. There ought 
to be a better view than that to live by or God must have de- 
serted us. There is nothing high, broad, or noble in it. Then 
there were other philosophers who concluded to laugh at human 
experiences. Life was a sarcasm, a bit of ridicule, a painful 
sort of farce. No matter what came they shrugged their shoulders, 
lifted their eyebrows and tried to think the universe a practical 
joke. This may do for children but not for men. We must 
pass it on the wayside and move to a higher level. When we 
listen to the Spirit we hear strange things. We learn that we 
are golden but not pure gold. Trial and affliction are the fire 
under the crucible which cannot destroy the precious metal but 
will remove the dross. God wants us to be at our best, and true 
religion consists in recognizing that truth, and in being willing 
to go through whatever experience He thinks necessary in order 
to accomplish that end. In its ignorance the molten gold in the 
crucible may regard itself as cruelly tortured, may boil and bub- 
ble with angry and defiant protest, but when at last the master 
workman removes the dross and molds the purified metal into 
an ingot, it sees its mistake. The fire which seemed to be its 



486 Book of Knowledge. 

worst enemy was in reality its best friend. The experience was 
hard to bear, but the result proved that the highest good could 
be attained in no other way. We shall all know in the by and by 
that what we suffer is as necessary as what we enjoy; that a 
life without suffering would be an imperfect and undeveloped 
life. 

Now as I understand His mission, Christ's purpose was to 
tell us at once what by and by we shall know without the telling 
and if we accept this philosophy it will give a kind of good 
cheer to our struggles, our sorrows, and even our bereavements. 
He who knows why he weeps and believes that weeping will 
ultimate in a priceless good may still continue to weep, but there 
is no bitterness, no despair in his tears. It may be hard to do what 
must be done, but the gold that is conscious of being refined may 
even bless the fire which gives it pain. If there is a purpose in 
our agonies and we know what that purpose is, then even agony 
has a joy hidden behind it. 

I go still further than this and dare to say that what the Scrip- 
tures call " the last enemy " is the crowning decree of a benevo- 
lent Providence. Death is nothing more than the dark passage- 
way to another life. We dread it because we only half believe 
that there is light ahead. Once convince us that we close our 
eyes on to-day in order to open them on a to-morrow and we 
shall fall asleep as quietly as a child in its mother's arms. Our 
doubts are the ghosts which haunt us and make us clutch at life. 
If we were spiritually in a normal state of mind, death would 
not be death, but birth; not the death of all things, but the 
glorious beginning of better things. 

W T hen we go into a graveyard it is with bowed heads. We 
see the sod but not the heavens. We should look up and not down. 
The departed have not gone far and nothing harms them so 
much as our want of faith that they are near. That kind of 
religion is all sunshine. It is the only religion worth having. It 
is the religion which Christ taught. It will stand the test of 
human experience and give you an insight and an outlook that 
can be found nowhere else. We travel along a road that is 
sometimes rugged and steep ; we grow weary, and even despond- 
ent, because our eyes are dull. 






Who are the Christians? 487 

But we are on the way home and they who have gone await 
our coming. The stout heart is the heart of knowledge, and that 
kind of religion is peace, contentment, joy, and resignation. We 
go not alone, for our hand is in the Father's hand, and we are 
therefore safe. We know our loved ones are awaiting our com- 
ing and all shall be made ready for our reception there. 

" For I have not spoken of Myself but the Father which sent 
Me; He gave Me a commandment, what I should say and what 
I should speak." St. John XII, 49. 

" And I know that His commandment is life everlasting : 
whatsoever I speak, therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, 
so 1 speak." St. John XII, 50. 






CHAPTER XXI. 

A HIGHER LIFE. 

He is not here, for He has arisen as He said. Matthew 
XXVIII, 6. 

The most difficult thing in this lower life is to thoroughly 
appreciate the fact of a higher life and to act with constant refer- 
ence to it. We are so saturated with the spirit of to-day, so en- 
tangled in the fascinating meshes of the present, so content with 
the pleasures and ambitions of time, that the future seems more 
like a romance than a reality. In a vague sort of way we believe 
in a continued existence but we are so concerned about the ap- 
parent impossibilities connected with it that our faith is more or 
less blurred and marred. We allow ourselves to dwell so con- 
tinuously on the method by which immortality is to be achieved, 
that we sometimes doubt God's ability to keep His promise, and 
feel that He should have told us more about it. So we walk in 
a dense fog, once in a while catching a glimpse of the landscape 
when the fog lifts, and then groping about, not knowing which 
way to turn. 

The action of Christ under circumstances more trying than 
any we can experience is a rebuke to us. He faced life with 
less calmness than he faced death. He grew in spiritual stature 
after entering Gethsemane. He was never more serene than when 
the shadow of the cross fell on Him. He was like a star at all 
other times, but when the nails were being driven into the cruel 
wood He was a blazing sun. One cry of human suffering es- 
caped Him, but it was the cry of the body, not of the soul. I 
marvel at this. The picture attracts and awes me. In the most 
solemn of all hours He was as peaceful at heart as an unruffled 
sea, and as mighty. He welcomed the shock of death, which may 
terrify you ; glad that His earthly mission had been accomplished, 



A Higher Life. 489' 

and buoyed by the actual sight — a privilege often granted to us 
also — of the home to which He was hastening. 

Yes, it not infrequently happens that mortals in their last ex- 
tremity, just as kindly death is loosening the bonds which unite 
soul and body, have visions of those who will meet them when 
their farewells to earth have been said. Almost every family 
can recite an incident of that kind and tell you how, under its 
influence, some dear one has passed away with a smile on his 
lips. And why should not these things be true if God is really 
our Father and we are really His children? Why should He 
not send His ministering angels to us at such a time, when timid 
souls touch a strange shore, to bid them a welcome into the world 
of which they have dreamed in their loftier moods? And if the 
eyes of the dying may be thus opened, why may not the time 
come when the eyes of the living shall all be equally blest? A 
great many are now. If heaven is close to us and only a thin 
partition divides the two homes, it must be possible when we 
become pure in heart to hear and see even as the Christ did. 
It will not be too much to ask when we shall so live as to merit 
the privilege. This world presses so heavily on our hearts just 
now, but by and by, when we comprehend the significance of the 
other world, it will be very different. 

Your immortal life began before your cradled infancy. You 
are in the midst of it at the present moment. Mortality and im- 
mortality go hand in hand for a while up many a steep hill and 
into many a deep valley. It is God's will that they shall keep 
company, that which dies and that which cannot die. They are 
strange comrades, but they get on very well together. When the 
right moment arrives they take a tender farewell of each other, 
and then we discover their several peculiarities and the curious 
difference between the two. The mortal is weary and worn. It 
has lived here. It has accomplished its task, its work is done, and 
it has deserved the rest it seeks. But the soul is not tired. It has 
just begun to recognize itself. It has plumed its wings for many 
a short flight, and is ready to soar. It has learned the alphabet 
of life, nothing more, and is prepared to study its principles and 
its mysteries. A tired body, a fresh and vigorous soul; why 
should they not part company ? Let them clasp hands in a tender 



490 Book of Knowledge. 

farewell, the one to go to the earth elements, the other to go for- 
ward to achieve its great destiny. I do not know why they ever 
came together, this mortal and this immortal, but I can see a 
good reason for their parting and why the soul should lay aside 
its torn and shattered garment and be clothed upon with a spirit- 
ual body. 

This night while writing I hear the whisperings of heaven — 
the soft, low voices of angels are sounding in my ears. Dear 
ones from on high are here in our earthly homes. They have 
not forgotten us, for true human love, like God's love, never dies, 
and to-night when all the earth is resting they stretch out invis- 
ible hands and cry, " We, too, have risen and you shall rise." 

There is no death. They who have gone are more truly and 
more thoroughly alive than we are, and our best life will come 
when death does us a great service and sets us free. 

" I will not leave you comfortless : I will come to you." St. 
John XIV, 18. 

A NEW YEAR. 

Be ye therefore perfect. St. Matthew V, 48. 

We are on the threshold of another year. There is no such 
thing as time to the soul, but our earthly limitations are such 
that it is convenient to speak of months and weeks and days, 
like grains of sand which slip through the ringers, no matter 
how closely we hold them. These weeks and months glide by 
us and refuse to stay, even at our most earnest entreaty. So 
pass our days, quite heedless of our wishes, as though they were 
anxious to bear us to the beyond ; so pass our weeks and months 
and years, with ever-increasing haste, and one of our greatest 
surprises is, that youth has suddenly changed to manhood, and 
that maturity has given way to gray-haired age. No sooner do 
we begin to realize what it is to live when we find that already 
life has nearly ended. The past is little more than a dream, a 
faint reminiscence which leaves us in wonder as to what the 
future will be. The past is the echo of distant music now like a 
song and now like a dirge. We have suffered, toiled, struggled ; 
and each experience has left its joyous impression on the face 



A Higher Life. 491 

or its furrow on the brow. The pendulum swings, and swings, 
and swings. It is omnipotent ; it is irresistible. Neither can a 
king, with all his resources, purchase a moment's hesitation, nor 
can a peasant's hand hold it during a single heart-beat. We are 
being borne on toward eternity, whether asleep or awake ; whether 
asleep or awake ; whether we be rich or poor ; whether we weep or 
laugh. And why should it not be so? "Wherefore are we 
troubled ? " The closer we get to the perfect man, the less we 
regard this life, which is the book itself. Other worlds await 
us; larger opportunities are in the near future. The soul now 
hampered by circumstances shall sometime be free. The burden 
of environment shall be dropped, and when we are emancipated 
we shall be larger, nobler, and more like Christ. What care 
we, then, for time? The years may come and go as they please, 
and their speed does not disturb us. We are on the road to our 
eternal home, and the nearer we get to it the higher our antici- 
pations, the deeper are our longings. Earth is nothing when 
heaven is in sight. The perfect man ; he is coming but not yet. 
He is afar off, with his face turned this way. We are simply 
spoiled children with a New Testament which we read but do not 
understand : with a ghostly sort of religion made up of dogmas, 
which no one can explain ; with a church so-called formal that the 
Christ would hardly find a welcome there. The world is mostly 
made up of heretics who think themselves orthodox. They believe 
almost every thing except Christ. He has not yet been revealed 
to them; they know something about Him, but He Himself they 
do not know. In another century the race will have a real religion, 
of which the religion of to-day is the dry husk with scarcely a 
kernel of corn. The perfect man will be a Christ-man, with 
power over body and control of mind. He will live on a higher 
spiritual level ; become acquainted with the laws by which miracles 
were worked in other days (and are sometimes now, only some 
are yet too ignorant to accept it), and will learn how to work 
miracles in himself. When man and the God Power are one, 
everything is possible. When man is in harmony with the spirit- 
ual laws he can exercise a power beyond the reach of reckoning. 
There will be no poverty in that prophetic time, for when the rich 
man loves the poor and all classes are woven together in the 



492 Book of Knowledge. 

fabric of a perfect society, poverty will become an obsolete word 
and crime will be unknown. I know, too, that the day is coming 
when the other world will be an open secret. What the prophets 
and seers of Israel saw, many are now seeing, and the telephones 
between earth and heaven will be so numerous that each home will 
have one. Heaven and earth will be so close together that they 
cannot be told apart. The dead, but in the new religion no such 
word will be found : not dead, but born again ; not dead, but liv- 
ing in the nearer presence of the Almighty; their love for us 
unbroken, their interest undisturbed, their power to help in- 
creased. Year by year we throw aside something of the worn 
out and old and take on something of the new and better. Year 
by year our sight grows clearer as we gaze upward with wonder. 
Year by year the Christ's spiritual laws come closer to our hearts 
ready to teach us how to live. And so we speed the parting guest, 
grateful for the precious memories it leaves behind and welcome 
the new-comer, bearing twelve months in his arms, and with a 
prayer that it may lead us a full day's march toward the Christ- 
manhood and the Christ-womanhood. 

" Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have 
you ignorant." I Cor. XII, I. 



HELP FOR THE WEARY. 
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust. Psalms XVIII, 2. 

A word to those who have found life very hard, who bear a 
bitter disappointment in their hearts, and who wonder why such 
thorny paths loom up before them. There are many such and 
many dear readers will realize it. There are times in every man 
and woman's life when it appears to them that they are not being 
treated fairly. Possibly there may be a few exceptions to the 
general rule, but probably not. Some hide their grief and their 
grievances at such times and sternly refuse to take the world or 
even God into their confidence. They dissemble for pride's sake, 
and though they smile outwardly they groan inwardly. Per- 
haps these suffer most. 

What we call ill fortune attacks us in our weakest place. It 



A Higher Life. 493 

concentrates its forces on that part of the wall which is most 
likely to give away and in too many cases compels surrender and 
captures the fort. You may call it the devil, or you may call 
it by any other name that suits your prejudices or your convic- 
tions, but the plain fact is that when you are in trouble some 
subtle invisible and fiendish influence whispers in your ear that 
of course there can be no Providence or you would not be left 
thus in the lurch. You listen because you cannot help it, and if 
after listening you assent, you are practically lost, for the heart, 
the courage, has gone out of you and you fall by the wayside 
an imbittered soul. 

So long as you maintain your faith in God and in the ability 
of his angels to help you, you are a warrior with a strong arm 
and a sharp sword. The odds may be against you, but God and 
you together can fight any fight and win. You can cut your way 
through a horde of evils for you are not alone. There is a kind 
of satisfaction in facing adverse circumstances and great honor 
to be obtained in conquering them. Let the conflict be as long 
and as sharp as it will, it must end at last, and it can only end 
one way, that is, in your favor. So you bravely meet your hard- 
ships, and though they bring tears from your eyes, as the clouds 
drop rain, and though you are worn and weary and poor and sick, 
you are still patient and even hopeful, for God will not desert you. 
Even if the struggle continues until the last gasp, you know that 
open arms are waiting to embrace and welcome you, and that 
the defeats of this life may be changed to victories in the next. 
If it is His will that you shall be poor and hungry, why, the 
fact that it is His will sustains you, and you need not and cannot 
succumb, for like the bees you are able to extract pure honey 
from worthless weeds and poisonous blossoms. 

But if you are robbed of that faith, if you let it slip from your 
grasp, it is like losing the rope which binds you to your guide 
when climbing the icy Alps ; or like tearing down the roof which 
shelters you from the pitiless storm, or like throwing into the 
sea the bread on which you must subsist until you reach the 
shore. You cannot fight with any hope of success unless you have 
the right kind of ammunition and plenty of it. This is true of 
the battle-field and of life. 



494 Book of Knowledge. 

If you have no God and no faith in the spiritual world you 
are very poorly prepared for what is before you. You need both 
before you can be properly equipped. A sailor can tie a knot 
which will slip when the line is strained, and he can also tie a knot 
which becomes tighter as the strain on the line grows greater. 
There are men and women whose religious faith gives way when 
there is hard work to be done. They are fair weather men and 
women, who believe in God and Jesus Christ as long as the sun 
shines, and deny Him after dark. And there are souls who cling 
closer to their faith when serious trouble is at hand. They may 
be robbed of everything else, but no enemy or plunderer can steal 
that. Poor, sick, friendless, there is an oasis in the desert to 
which they can retire for refreshment. Their thoughts buoy 
them up instead of pressing them down. Such a poor man, with 
all the forces of adversity entangling him, is better off than the 
rich man with despair in his heart. The man or woman who 
has God and the dear angels for friends can dispense with other 
companionship, but if God depart, not all the other friends in the 
world can fill His place. Yes, life is hard at times, but you are 
brave; it cannot conquer you, for you are foreordained to be the 
victor. There are elements of manhood or womanhood in you 
which make you resemble the sturdy and majestic ship in an 
Atlantic gale. The gale does its worst and the ship does its best. 
It is a terrible struggle, but the storm wears itself out and the 
patient ship, bruised it may be and somewhat injured, steams into 
port and comes to anchor. So will it be with the soul that crosses 
the ocean of life, if there is faith in the heart. 

" Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and 
evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice." Ephesians 
IV, 31. 

IMITATING CHRIST. 

Master I will follow Thee. Matthew VIII, 19. 

We are told that it is practically impossible to imitate 
Christ, that any attempt to do so would render us liable to the 
charge of fanaticism and bring us into ridicule. The spirit of 



A Higher Life. 495 

the age in which we live, it is said, is so opposed to some of the 
injunctions of the New Testament that if we literally took no 
thought for the morrow, or if we really loved our neighbors as 
ourselves, we should overturn the whole system of society. In 
a word, we are assured that while the gospels contain a very 
beautiful theory of life, it cannot be applied to existing affairs 
without producing disaster. I have no doubt that society as 
at present constituted is in many important respects structur- 
ally weak, and that we shall, though by slow degrees, adopt 
the principles of Christ and His spiritual teachings. This 
weakness is the despair of the philanthropist who sees the 
wrong but does not know how to right it. 

The great aggregation of men and women which we call 
society is greedy and selfish. Those who have plenty give 
slender heed to those who have nothing, and though there is 
infinite suffering from cold and hunger, there is hardly a ripple 
of sympathy, and small effort to remedy the evil. We care so 
much for ourselves that we have no room for pity of others. 
The spirit of the age is not the spirit of brotherly love or of 
helpfulness. In the competition for wealth it matters little 
what happens to our neighbor if only we can have what we 
seek. Hearts are being crushed everywhere, lives are being 
ruined everywhere, and even religion takes no note of the fact, 
but preaches tamely as though we were on the highway to the 
millennium. If Christ were to come again he would meet with 
no better reception than was accorded Him in Jerusalem. We 
would also call Him a dreamer, an enthusiast, an unpractical 
theorist, and the Sermon on the Mount would be listened to 
with the wonder which changes to sarcasm. We are not yet 
ready for Him or His doctrines, because what we call society 
is based on principles which He denounced. But He planted 
the seed of the new life, the life of brotherhood and justice and 
mercy and love, and in due time we shall reap the crop. He is 
Master of the situation, and though we rebel we shall at last 
surrender. 

In the meantime we can imitate Him in very many respects 
and find profit therein. Indeed there is already a multitude of 
Christ-like men and women scattered throughout all classes of 



496 Book of Knowledge. 

society, and the sweetness and heroism of their lives, their 
charity of judgment, their self-sacrifice, their resignation in 
sorrow, and their hopefulness in bereavement give us a glimpse 
of what the world would be if such people were not the excep- 
tion but the rule. 

I have known martyrs in humble as well as in high life bow- 
ing their heads to the inevitable, bearing a heavy cross in 
saintly fashion, no one knowing their burden but God and 
themselves. They make all better by the subtle influence of 
a holy character. Christ was always conscious of the presence 
of God and of the angels, and we can imitate Him in that. He 
had the companionship of those who inhabit the unseen world 
and depended on them with supreme faith in time of desolation 
and sorrow. " I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven 
open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon 
the Son of Man." St. John I, 51. 

This world has very little sympathy to offer us, but if we 
have a Jacob's ladder, our dear ones, their interest in us as 
vital as ever, will come down with help and go up bearing our 
prayers. 

It is a mistake to think that Christ's work was finished when 
He went to heaven. On the contrary, it was just begun. " I 
will be with you always " were not words lightly spoken ; but 
their full import is seldom understood. 

The Christ of Jerusalem is the Christ of to-day. He is on 
the earth now just as much as we are. The angels who min- 
istered to Him then are ministering to us at the present 
moment. His power is our power if we are in the right rela- 
tion to Him. And what He did, yes, " greater things than 
these shall ye do," when He and we are on terms of divine in- 
timacy. Burdens may be heavy, but nevertheless they will be 
light; sorrows may be hard to bear, and yet they will be easy 
to bear: death may be dreaded, and yet it will be gladly wel- 
comed ; bereavement may be heart-breaking, and yet our hearts 
will not be broken — these are the paradoxes of a true religion. 
Christ in the soul, loved as the bride is loved by the bride- 
groom, dear ones waiting on the earthward shore of eternity 
to greet us at our coming. Beautiful life, calm, serene death, 



A Higher Life. 497 

and " There shall be no night there." That is the religion of 
the future : why not make it the religion of to-day ? 

"Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down 
my life that I might take it again." St. John X, 17. 

" No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I 
have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. 
This commandment have I received of my Father." St. John 
X, 18. 

WHEN SHALL WE WALK BY SIGHT? 

I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them 
now. St. John XVI, 12. 

The world has had in any given age as much truth as it was 
able to bear. A truth misunderstood is the equivalent of an 
untruth, just as firearms in the hands of a child are dangerous. 
When a person has acquired the due amount of intelligence he 
may be safely intrusted with a gun, but ignorance will not 
escape injury from it. When men have reached that period of 
evolution which demands new truths, these truths have some- 
how come as lightning came out of the clouds at the bidding 
of Franklin. New truths seem to be concealed from us until 
we have special use for them, and then inspired lips are un- 
sealed and the revelation is made. We have never been able 
to bear any larger knowledge of the immortal life than we have 
possessed, and it has therefore been denied to us. We have 
not been sufficiently developed, either intellectually or spirit- 
ually, to endure the blazing light, and so the curtains have been 
drawn down ; the full sunshine has been shut out, and we have 
seen " through a glass darkly." Our conception of the future 
has been heretofore of the vaguest character. We have be- 
lieved in another life, and our belief has lightened the burden 
and set a rainbow against our tears, and filled us with a yearn- 
ing after the departed which has robbed death of its terrors, 
but our ideas have been indefinite and confused, and we have 
been unable to discuss the subject even with ourselves. Why 
is this so? It has given us great pain at times, and we have 



498 Book of Knowledge. 

sighed as though immortality might, after all, prove to be a 
dream; beautiful, uplifting, but still a dream. 

Why have we had so little knowledge, and incorrect knowl- 
edge, of that life to which we are all hastening? In my poor 
judgment it is an added evidence of the wise plan on which all 
things are conducted. Christ's words recur to me, and I feel 
sure that we have heretofore known all that we could bear, all 
that we were fitted to make use of. We get what we need at 
the time we need it and are prepared for it. If this is true 
along the historic path of material progress, it is equally true 
in the realm of religion. To the untutored or undisciplined 
mind, a perfect revelation of what heaven is and of the en- 
vironments of the soul in that other world would be incal- 
culably unwise, and in a great majority of cases a positive and 
alarming injury. This life has a divine purpose, but that pur- 
pose would be wholly defeated if our knowledge of the future 
were suddenly enlarged. The heavy burdens we bear; the 
struggles in which we are engaged; the bitter tears we are 
forced to shed; the disappointments of our fondest hopes, 
which we are compelled to endure are all blows of the hammer 
and chisel which shape the rough block of marble into a price- 
less statue. Life as at present constituted would be incom- 
plete without hardships and sorrow. It may not always be so, 
but it is so now. To those who find it especially difficult to 
use their troubles for a high end and who at times sink in 
despair, a perfect knowledge of the other world might prove 
the irresistible temptation to commit a crime. The universal 
dread of death and this uncertainty concerning the future is 
one of the strongest safeguards of the present life. We bear 
the ills we have and gain a sweeter character by our patience 
and endurance, whereas, if we knew all, we might cross the 
border line through sheer desperation, and so lose the very 
object for which we were placed in this lower world. But the 
time is coming when we shall know more because we can bear 
more. I can see the first streaks of light above the hill-tops, 
and am sure that by and by the fogs and mists in which we 
now dwell will be swept away by the light of a brighter, if not 
perfect day. God's revelations come no faster than they are 



A Higher Life. 499 

called for. Christ meant a great deal when He declared, " I 
have yet many things to say unto you," and I think He has 
been saying them, one by one, through the ages, giving in pro- 
portion to our ability to bear, and adding nothing more when 
the limit of our ability to use was reached. Many things have 
been told to our fathers. More has been told to us, and much 
more will be told to our children's children. 

Are we prepared for an actual demonstration of the im- 
mortal life? I know we long for it, hunger for it, and thirst 
for it, and pray for it, but would it be safe to answer that 
prayer? Are we in a condition of mind and soul to bear the 
truth, or would it prove too much for us ? " How that by 
revelation he made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote 
afore in a few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may under- 
stand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ." Ephesians 
III, 3-4. 

" Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons 
of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and 
prophets by the spirit." Ephesians III, 5. 

Can you look at the sun? Can you absorb the absolute cer- 
tainty of another life ? If immortality were no longer a matter 
of faith, but a fact so clearly proved that denial would be im- 
possible, just as it would be impossible to deny the law of 
gravitation, could you stand the strain? The longing is a hint 
that you are in process of preparation, but the change in our 
outlook, in our motives, would be so great that we should not 
become accustomed to the new order of things in many years. 
I know that Christ did not walk by faith alone, but by knowl- 
edge. He lived in the future and drew strength from it. The 
to-morrow of heaven lifted the burden of each sorrowful to-day. 
At some period in our development, how far distant I know 
not, we shall have a new heaven, and that will give us a new 
earth ; when the voices of our loved ones from the angel world 
shall be heard by all earth's children, and our sight will not be 
dim, but clear. We shall not hope that our loved ones are near, 
for we shall know it to be true. This life of simple faith is 
beautiful, and we have trod many a difficult path under its 
benign influence, but when you will have the full knowledge, 



joo Book oj Knowledge. 

then you will know. But at last, aye, ere long perhaps, 
heaven and earth will touch each other. We shall be prepared 
for the greater truth, and the dear Christ power will send more 
messengers to announce it. God is always present in His 
world, and He will tell us more when we are able to endure it. 
Until then keep your faith pure and watch the coming of the 
morning. 

" These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs ; for the 
time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, 
but I shall show you plainly of the Father." St. John XVI, 25. 



CHAPTER XXIL 

HARMFUL FEARS. 

Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many spar- 
rows. St. Matthew X, 31. 

While it may not be true that happiness is the chief end of 
life, it is nevertheless one of the objects which a man should 
always keep in view. It is a mistake to imagine that the more 
miserable you are the more religious you are. Honest enjoy- 
ment has as much to do with the soul's development as have 
sorrows and struggles, and it is just as truly a duty to seek it 
wherever it may be found as it is to meet tribulation bravely. 
All human experiences are included in the plan of God, and 
there is as much religion in a smile as in a tear. 

When the command is given to " rejoice in the Lord 
always, and again I say rejoice," the obligation is laid upon us 
to make the best of every circumstance; to find hope when 
only despair is in sight; and by resignation in trial to lighten 
its burden as much as possible. Life is not a jest, neither is it 
full of exuberant joyousness. On the contrary, it is a serious 
task to get yourself in harmony with the universe, and to keep 
yourself there. There is, however, a supreme satisfaction in 
knowing that you have wholly or even partially accomplished 
that task, and that kind of satisfaction contains all the essen- 
tial elements of happiness. The man who is scaling the moun- 
tain side has a hard day's work, but if he is really making the 
ascent, he is neither grim-visaged nor gloomy; he can stoop 
to gather the blossoms in his path ; to appreciate the grandeur 
of the scenery ; to watch the clouds in their flight. He is not 
simply doing a heavy bit of drudgery, for there are compensa- 
tions at every stage of the journey. The very effort which will 
make him successful at last has an element of joy in it, and the 
consciousness that he is doing a man's work in a manly way 



502 Book of Knowledge. 

fits him, both mentally and physically, for such incidental 
pleasures as may offer themselves. And if his double purpose 
is to accomplish his destiny as God has made it plain to him, 
and at the same time to lose no opportunity to seek the sweet 
as well as the bitter, and even to seek the sweet which the 
bitter itself may furnish, he is in the attitude of a child of the 
Father, and represents the true Christian religion in its most 
practical phase. 

Fear more than any other emotion poisons happiness, and 
the only antidote for that poison is knowledge. A doubt is a 
fear in disguise, and it produces all the results of fear. Teach 
a child that this is a dreadful sort of world to live in ; that there 
are ambushed dangers at every turn ; that eternity is the great- 
est danger of all, and you cramp and handicap his soul beyond 
repair. He will never get over the disease with which you have 
inoculated him until on the other side of the grave he learns 
that you did him an injury by giving him a falsehood instead of 
the truth. " For we can do nothing against the truth, but for 
the truth." 2 Cor. XII, 8. 

The difference between a belief in the hobgoblins who infest 
the night and friendly angels who will be your comrades and 
guides, marks the difference between a soul equipped for work 
and a soul which is unfitted for work by the fact of its fears. 
The more fear you introduce into your religion the less useful 
and effective it becomes. I cannot conceive of a Heavenly 
Father with anger in His heart or a whip in His hand. The 
God whom we should worship is never wrathful ; we break His 
laws, and the broken law inflicts the punishment we deserve. 
But all the while that we suffer in consequence of our folly, 
God pities us, even as an earthly father pities his children, and 
brings all the holy influences which infinite wisdom can suggest 
to bear on our wilful soul, that we may return to the right rela- 
tion to Him. 

A drop of ink in a goblet of spring water renders it unfit and 
unwholesome to drink. A particle of fear in your conception 
of God renders true worship impossible. You must not be 
good because you fear to be bad, or your goodness will be arti- 
ficial. The fear of hell is not the true way to heaven, for if that 



Harmful Fears. 503 

fear is in your heart not even heaven can make you happy. 
Confidence to begin with, to go on with, to end with, is the only 
basis of true religion. You know your duty ; you know that the 
only lasting satisfaction you can enjoy will be found in doing 
that duty ; you know that God will send the angels to assist you 
in every difficult task; that they will accompany you through 
life ; that they will never make a mistake, if you listen to them. 
" I will not leave you comfortless : I will come to you." St. 
John XIV, 18. 

Ninety-nine hundredths of the evil in this world is the result 
of ignorance and bad judgment. The man who thinks he knows 
better than the Almighty what it is safe to do is like the grain 
of corn in the hopper which thinks it can escape being ground 
between the upper and the lower millstones. The man who 
cheats his neighbor in a bargain and pockets a profit thereby 
is under the impression that the advantage is on his side. It 
is a mistake of judgment. The benefit he sought will turn sour, 
like milk in a thunderstorm. There is only one Ruler in the 
universe and you are not He. He has made things in such a 
fashion that when you follow His laws you float securely on the 
current of the sea, and when you become a law unto yourself 
you finish your career in confessed and regretted failure. 

Most of the crimes that are committed, no matter what their 
nature, have behind them as a motive the expectation that they 
will help the man who commits them. It is impossible to con- 
ceive of any deed, however cowardly or vile, which has not this 
motive at the root. Lying, selfishness, avarice, envy are under- 
taken for a hoped-for good. The man who indulges in these or 
other vices is in a search for happiness for himself, and he thinks 
he can accomplish that result. He never does, however, and he 
never will ; he can have no peace, for he swallows a slow poison 
with the vain hope of becoming rugged and healthy. God has 
made this w T orld beautiful, and all He asks is that our souls 
shall also be beautiful. If we can smother our self-conceit; 
admit that his laws are worth obeying; are better than any 
laws we can make for ourselves, and be loyal to them at all 
hazards and costs, we shall have the only kind of religion that 
can save us, either here or hereafter. We shall be courageous 



504 Book of Knowledge, 

and strong and cheerful. The present cannot harm, and the 
future will be a joy. 

" The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall 
gather out of His kingdom all things that do offend, and them 
which do iniquity." St. Matthew XIII, 41. 



AFTER DEATH. 

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at thd 
things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are tem- 
poral; but the things which are not seen are eternal. Cor. IV, 18. 

I plead for a religion which is genuine. You are constantly 
making professions of a faith which you do not actually possess. 
You persuade yourself and others that you believe and can 
trust your belief, and forthwith it bends and breaks like a rotten 
staff. Once make the text a part of your soul and you would 
be transformed. Life would assume a different aspect. You 
would be in accord with the Spirit of the universe. I even 
assert you would be able to " lay aside every weight with eyes 
fixed on higher truths." You would overcome the " sin that 
doth so easily beset you ; " live to a ripe old age, as we are 
evidently intended to, and " run with patience " your little race 
until the " Voice " should tell you that your day's work is done, 
and summon you to the glorious future. 

It is the belief in a day after death which makes all the days 
before death joyful. The difference between a to-morrow of 
darkness and a to-morrow of sunshine, and renewed vigor of 
health, untouched by disease, and of opportunities never 
dreamed of, is so great spiritually that it cannot be expressed. 
The years may come and go as they will, if you only see the 
" Golden Gate " in the distance, and on the far-away hill-tops 
the cloud of witnesses who have guided us on our way and will 
take us by the hand when we wake from slumber. 

The heart need not beat like a muffled drum, as though we 
were sorry to leave these lower scenes, for if we are right- 
minded, we shall keep step to the echoing music of a better world 



Harmful Fears. 505 

and be more and more glad as it grows louder, because we are 
getting nearer to our higher home. 

Our spiritual religion and knowledge make us content to 
live and be ready at any time to exchange earth life for the 
higher life. 

" Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the 
spirit which is of God : That we might know the things that are 
freely given to us of God." 1 Cor. II, 12. 



THE UNITY OF FAITH. 

And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same 
God which zvorketh all in all. 1 Cor. XII, 6. 

When we discuss the essentials of religion there is very 
little difference of opinion. It is about the insignificant details 
that we quarrel. When you declare that God is our Father, the 
statement is accepted in pretty nearly the same sense by the 
Christians of every latitude and longitude. The word father 
means the same thing to all of us. When we talk about duty 
there is barely room for a discussion that is even stimulating. 
It is a practical matter, and we should all agree as to what it 
is. No man can doubt that we ought to be brave and chival- 
rous, honest, loyal and faithful, at the cost of great sacrifices. 
When we speak of the New Testament (I take our spiritual 
facts — our communications between the two worlds — from the 
New Testament) we may differ as to what inspiration is, 
whether it is plenary or only partial, but we all concede that a 
true spiritual life is a life of holiness, and that the world would 
be better if it drew closer to the ideal which our spiritual laws 
teach. When we speak of punishment you may have one 
opinion as to its purposes and duration and I may have another; 
but as to the fact, we stand on the same ground, and you and 
I both believe that we cannot break the laws of the universe 
without incurring serious consequences, and that the only way 
to be happy, either in this present existence or in any other, 
is to do what we know to be right. When we refer to heaven, 
our ideas depend largely on our early education; for some of 



506 Book of Knowledge. 

us think of it as a place of eternal rest, and others as a place 
of eternal activity and progress ; but we are all alike in regard- 
ing it as a higher sphere in which the soul will expand like a 
rose in the sunshine. And no one doubts that when we get 
there we shall occupy a room in the " mansion not made by 
hands," in the company of those who have gone before, but 
whom we love with the same love as of old. 

It is clear, therefore, that all mere sectarianism is un-Chris- 
tian. I have a right to travel along my chosen path providing 
you and I are both facing the rising sun. I have no criticism to 
make of you if you reject what I hold dear, and whenever I can 
lend you a helping hand I am bound to do so, or I am not a 
follower of our common Master. There is but one church on 
the planet : it is the church of the living God. There is but one 
religion; the religion which yokes fatherhood and brotherhood 
together. The rankest heresy, the only heresy that is known 
among the angels, is when a man stops work to find fault or 
condemn his neighbor who does not think as he does. I have 
often thought that the various sects are like a kaleidoscope. 
The bits of glass at the objective end are always the same, but 
when you look through the eye piece and turn the tube they 
assume different relations to each other, and by means of the 
triangular mirror on the inside present entirely different pic- 
tures. At one turn of the tube you have a beautiful figure, and 
at another turn you have a figure equally beautiful but quite dif- 
ferent. As we look at the different branches of religion, one 
turn gives us Presbyterianism, another turn gives us Catholi- 
cism, another Episcopalianism. But remember that however 
you turn the tube the particles are the same in all; it is only 
their relation to each other that changes. These changes are 
the various isms, but the particles that have not changed and 
cannot change are the eternal facts on which all mankind sub- 
stantially agree. I do not care, then, what church you worship 
in. The church is the minor detail, but the worship is the essen- 
tial concern. I should feel myself a heathen if I could not kneel 
at any altar where prayers are uttered and say my prayers in 
unison with all the others. Names are of no account, but things 
are important. If we be of Christ and His spiritual teaching, 



Harmful Fears. 507 

nothing is to be said, no fault is to be found. If we love the 
Master, then we must love Him all the more, for He needs it 
more. All religion is leaden except that kind, and that is golden. 
We do not dare to be as charitable as Christ was. It requires 
more courage than we at present possess. We are afraid to 
be as good as we know how to be. The true Christian loves, 
forgives and helps, and in doing so he finds the peace he sought 
elsewhere, but never found. Heaven ought to begin in this 
life, and will so begin when the heart is tuned to the universal 
law, which is only another word for universal love. 

" But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and 
when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in 
secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee 
openly." St. Matthew VI, 6. 



THE BREVITY OF LIFE. 

As for man, his days are as grass. Psalms CIII, 15. 

When you consider the matter seriously you are startled at 
the brevity of our human life. Subtract the years that are 
spent in childhood and early youth, before either the physical 
or mental system is equipped for its struggle, and subtract still 
further that mysterious third of our term which is spent in 
sweet sleep and pleasant dreams, and there are but a score of 
summers and winters between the cradle and the tomb. One 
listens to the chimes that beckon to the ideal, and while listen- 
ing they become a mere echo which loses itself in eternity. God 
has set us the task of writing a symphony, but there is only 
time to write the motif, and possibly to hum a few airs, when 
the eyes grow dull and we fall asleep, leaving our glad task 
unfinished. As Solomon said, " The same thing happeneth to 
us all." What is the thing that happens to us all? On the 
answer to this question depends our outlook. If the decision 
of heart and mind is favorable it is like putting the watch- 
spring into the watch and winding it up. It is like telling the 
traveller to enjoy the scenery as best he can, but assuring him 
that there are far higher mountains and wider landscapes be- 



508 Book of Knowledge. 

yond. It is like telling the musician to hearken to the organ 
peal in the church, but assuring him that when he hears the 
angel chorus sing, and kneels in the larger temple, he will be 
rilled with emotions, in comparison with which these are but 
the throbs of a longing and unsatisfied heart. On the contrary, 
if the decision is unfavorable, our human life is a useless and 
needless struggle with adversity; we are the slaves of a bitter 
fate, and our taskmaster swings his lacerating thong with some- 
thing that resembles vengeance. Our years are prolonged 
misery, with the deep shadow of annihilation hanging above it 
like a storm cloud filled with fiery bolts. The raven perches 
above our chamber door and croaks its song of " Nevermore." 
The pulse falls below its normal beat, and health, moral and 
physical, is impossible. The sun mocks us by day and the 
moon by night. We must needs love, for the soul cannot live 
without it, but the long corridor of our being is haunted with 
ghosts, and the air vibrates to the tearful word, " farewell." 
Love becomes only an incentive to weep, for the joys of love 
are but the precursor of an eternal shadow. I am convinced that 
if this life is all it was a grave mistake to bestow it. It is my 
impression that nearly all thoughtful men and women agree with 
me. Life is made up of alternate smiles and tears. Our happiness 
resembles the scattered moments of sunshine on a cloudy day; 
and what do these tears and smiles amount to, if they are all there 
is in the treasury of God, and all He intends to apportion to us? 
The ordinary life, the average life, has more weeds in it than 
flowers. From the time the eyes open to an intelligent view up 
to the hour when our friends gather to whisper " He is dead," 
we wrestle with circumstances, breaking forth into laughter at 
one moment and the next striving in the pressure of a misfortune ; 
disturbed by inharmonious surroundings and trying bravely to 
make the best of them ; at the end wondering what it all means, 
or if it means anything. If there is no more, if the story is to 
be finished before it is half told and just as we have become in- 
terested in it; if our sweetest relations to each other are honey 
to-day and will be wormwood to-morrow, then I dare to say that 
our seventy years are not profitable, and are not worth having. 
Better never be at all than only be what we are now. Why should 



Harmful Fears. 509 

you sacrifice for the maintenance of your integrity, why light 
the lamp of conscience and keep the wick trimmed through the 
dreary night, if there is no morning? Why not drift carelessly 
whither the current may take us? All this painstaking is in vain. 
It is like hoarding gold and being despoiled of it by the robber 
Death. It is trying to be a hale and hearty man when your 
manhood is a mere chimera. But let some angel guide you to 
a different vantage ground of observation. Let him draw aside 
the curtain of time and give you a glimpse of eternity. Let him 
touch your blind eyes, as Jesus touched the eyes of the peasant, 
and bid you look at the things which some are permitted to see. 
There stretches the road you are to travel; you cannot see the 
end for there is none. A new life in a new environment is to be 
yours, and in that other life you shall be your nobler, grander self, 
if you lay the foundations for it in the character that is to be 
fashioned by these smiles and tears which no longer seem insig- 
nificant. Far, far away in the dazzling distance you see the 
outline of that house of which the Scriptures tell us, the resting 
place of weary souls, beyond whose threshold there is a peace 
that passeth understanding. It is home again with your loved 
ones, our angel friends. 

" In my Father's house are many mansions : if it were not so 
I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." St. 
John XIV, 2. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE MAN WHO LOOKS OUT OF YOUR EYES. 

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we 
are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. 2 Cor. 
V,6. 

How odd and yet how natural it is we should always put the 
body before the soul, in our endeavor to make the present life 
comfortable and satisfactory. There is a visible and there is an 
invisible. As one of the barbarian tribes of Africa has it, " The 
man who looks out of your eyes." The first monopolizes our 
attention; the other receives only a passing thought. We are 
under a persistent illusion that the first is real, while the second 
is more or less mythical, whereas the exact opposite is the truth. 
To this visible man we devote all our ingenuity; we see that he 
is well fed, clothed and housed; we devote ourselves to making 
him happy; we surround him with all the luxuries and con- 
veniences which can be invented. We have stolen power from 
the clouds, fuel from the depths of the earth, and laid the fields 
and forests under tribute for his enjoyment. We have done so 
much for him that I am not far from right in declaring this to 
be an age of miracles. Indeed, he has absorbed so large a part 
of our time and thought that we have neglected the welfare of 
the man who looks out of our eyes, ignored his necessities, and 
left him to care for himself as best he can. We even go so far 
as to believe that we shall be happy if we can satisfy the demands 
of the physical and sensuous. To this end we constantly struggle 
and most of us die before our purpose is attained. We say to 
ourselves that we shall be supremely happy when we have earned 
the fortune which will purchase the longed-for environments, a 
house, equipage, pictures and the thousand other things which 
we think are to be coveted. Then when we change our dream 
into reality and possess the power to gratify every wish, we meet 



The Man Who Looks Out of Your Eyes. 511 

with surprise and disappointment. We are not satisfied as we 
expected to be. We have toiled for what seemed to be a substance 
but it turns out to be a shadow. Happiness is not found in what 
the merely physical man can enjoy. The only true man is the 
one who looks out of our eyes ; the one of whom we have taken 
so little account; the one whose highest aspirations we have sac- 
rificed in order to acquire a lesser, an inferior satisfaction. " But 
let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have re- 
joicing in himself alone, and not in another." Galatians VI, 4. 
We shall never know happiness until we recognize this fact, 
throw aside our false philosophy and pursue a nobler policy. Re- 
ligion has been warning us all along that we must attend to the 
wants of this second man, but so forceful has been our unbelief 
that we have regarded religion as something to die by, but not to 
live by ; a very disagreeable and distasteful something which for- 
bids the pleasures in which we take delight and enjoins duties 
which are peculiarly irksome. All this is the result of false think- 
ing. We are obsessed by convictions which, like an " ignis 
fatuus," lead us astray. We have heretofore believed and acted 
on the belief that we are a body with a soul in it, but the truth 
is we are a soul with a body for an overcoat. To devote our- 
selves to the overcoat and neglect the soul would seem to be a 
whim of irrational folly, and yet that is what we have been doing 
and are doing now. The worship of the overcoat — that is our 
religion. And the hardest task we have to perform is to get far 
enough away from the overcoat to recognize the fact that we 
have a soul. We are hypnotized by the body ; it has made us its 
servant, its slave, and in some cases our slavery is of the most 
abject kind. The man who looks out of our eyes is our real 
self. He is imprisoned for a time in the body and we look 
so carefully after the prison that we almost forget there is a 
prisoner. But the hour will arrive when the prison will crumble 
and then the emancipated prisoner will go free. What is on the 
outside of a man may add somewhat to his happiness, but it can- 
not produce it. It may increase his opportunities to acquire a 
blessing by giving a blessing ; but unless what is inside is satisfied 
life must needs be a failure. I can make a stronger statement 
and still be within the limits of exact truth. If the man who 



512 Book of Knowledge. 

looks out of your eyes is contented, you have very little more to 
ask of kind heaven, though perchance your larder may be well 
nigh empty, but if that man is not contented, he cannot be made 
so by a dozen of gold mines and by all that they are able to pur- 
chase. We are living body lives not soul lives. Our time is spent 
not so much on a sensual as on a sensuous plane. Thoughts, be- 
liefs, aspirations, are not regarded as a fortune, to be worked 
for or dreamed of as a " consummation devoutly to be wished " ; 
they have no value which excites covetousness ; on the contrary, 
we regard the possessor of these treasures as peculiar, eccentric, 
possibly unbalanced. But stocks and bonds and houses — these 
are the real coin, and in order to acquire them we make all sac- 
rifices, run the risk of breaking down in middle life, rob the soul 
of its honor and self-respect. I do not scorn the body, but I honor 
the man who looks out of your eyes. Guard both with vigilance, 
but especially the latter. 

The real man is the immortal man who will some day move 
out of his body. Him 1 ought to cherish, educate and develop. 
He must be nourished by noble thoughts and unselfish aims. He 
is really all / am. With everything else I shall sometime part 
company, but with him never. And when what we call death 
comes to demand of him the surrender of the body, that is his 
overcoat, he will then begin a broader and grander life, in com- 
parison with which this is only the primary school of his child- 
hood. 

" Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat 
which endureth unto everlasting life, which the son of man will 
give unto you." St. John VI, 2J. 



A VITAL FAITH. 

Thy faith hath made thee whole. Matthew IX, 22. 

We can easily understand that faith is a sovereign remedy for 
all the ills of the mind, producing contentment, resignation and 
peace, but as a remedy for the ills of the body, not even the nine- 
teen centuries since Christ walked our earth have prepared us for 
its acceptance. The assertion of the text still startles us. We 



The Man Who Looks Out of Your Eyes. 513 

are not equipped to discuss the matter intelligently. The state- 
ment seems to be a contradiction of natural law as we apprehend 
it, but it may be in accord with a higher range of natural laws, of 
which we have as yet only a dim glimpse. The subject has a 
growing interest. It has been asserted by those who think they 
know, that faith is a decreasing quantity, and there is a boast in 
the air that the less faith we have the more reasonable we are. 
This however is an illusion. Confidence in dogmas may have lost 
its hold, but confidence in fundamental principles is a flooding tide. 
Men are searching the universe with telescope and microscope to 
find out the truth of things. They have followed the road of the 
finite far enough to discover that somewhere there must be an in- 
finite, and they are beginning to feel that the goal will not be 
reached until the finite and the infinite clasp hands. When that 
end is reached we shall have many a secret which we now grope 
for in the dark, a religion to be trusted in all emergencies, as the 
captain of a vessel trusts the North Star, and a faith so perfect 
that we can live above temptation and die with a smile on our lips. 
I learn through reading that at the siege of Bude, in 1625, the 
garrison was in the direst straits. The scurvy had become epi- 
demic, and there seemed to be nothing left but surrender. The 
Prince saved the day by an appeal to the faith of his soldiers. 
He administered a few drops of pure water (God's water), to the 
afflicted, assuring them that it was an infallible cure for the dread 
disease. (How did that Prince know whether the angel world 
did not put something in that water to make them well? I have 
known such to be the case). Such was the confidence in the 
remedy that the effect produced was immediate. The garrison 
was made whole in a few days, and as a fighting force it was 
ready for victory. The means which achieved this result was 
not a drug but a thought. In some way yet unknown to science, 
the belief that a cure had been found was closely followed by 
the cure itself, and those in whom actual disease had been pro- 
duced by one state of mind — namely, hopelessness — were restored 
to health by another and a better state of mind. (I could accept 
Christian Science if they could give something after what we 
call death but they do not). The incident amply illustrates the 
power of faith to rouse the stagnant pool of physical vitality and 



514 Book of Knowledge. 

change into a swift flowing current of healthy and vigorous 
life. The pages of history are full of corroborating testimony. 
In the annals of every religion are innumerable instances of the 
same sort. Underneath them is a spiritual law which we have 
persistently ignored, but a law which holds in its grasp our hap- 
piness, our health and our usefulness. We shall accept it by and 
by, when our eyes are wider open, but in the meantime we must 
suffer needlessly, because we are blinded by prejudice. The logic 
of our writing seems to me perfectly clear and irresistible, and 
the declaration of Christ that her faith hath made the woman 
whole is as simply true as that a magnet attracts bits of iron. 

God made the universe: therefore, in a well defined sense, the 
universe is saturated with power and wisdom, beauty and love. 
We look at the flower, the harvest, the ocean, and we see — God. 
Man was also made by God, and is the bit of iron which has in 
it the mysterious essence of the magnet. As the iron and the 
magnet are drawn to each other, so are God and the human soul. 
If the iron surrounds itself with a non-conducting substance, it 
becomes a stranger to the magnet and is not influenced by it ; 
but if it throws off the non-conductor it is transformed and the 
life of the magnet is felt in every particle. The soul is to-day 
encased in the non-conductor of doubt and selfishness and greed. 
The purpose of religion — spiritual laws — is to destroy the foreign 
and debasing substances and open the heart to the entrance of 
God and the dear angels, and our loved ones that they may be- 
come one — enjoying the presence of the Holy power. 

Perfect faith makes you a partaker of God's power and wis- 
dom. It changes your whole outlook. You and the loved ones 
go hand in hand through life, through trouble, sorrow, bereave- 
ment; and hand in hand through the valley of shadows into the 
sunlit land of eternity. No one can be at his best self until he 
has that kind of faith. Then earth has a new charm, and you 
have an aim to work for, to be reunited with our loved ones in 
the life beyond. 

" It is sown a natural body ; it is raised a spiritual body. There 
is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." I Cor. XV, 44. 



The Man Who Looks Out of Your Eyes. 515 

CHRIST RELIGION. 
The kingdom of God is come unto you. Matthew XII, 28. 

I have recently been pondering some phases of modern reli- 
gious thought. What a new light it throws on our struggles and 
bereavements. What encouragement and happiness it brings and 
what a bright outlook it gives us for the future of this life and 
that of the next life ! What would our fathers say if they could 
come back and see how different our spiritual religion is from 
that which saddened their lives? It may also be said that our 
God is not their God whom they worshiped. Our attitude towards 
Him and His attitude towards us have been so widened and so 
brightened that religion has ceased to be a duty and has become a 
privilege. We stand in no fear, for the word King has been 
changed to Father. There was a certain hardness in the con- 
ception of Him which was once entertained, which has all dis- 
appeared and an uplifting tenderness has taken its place. They 
of the olden time approached Him with such a sense of awe that 
a kind of cathedral gloom spread over their lives. They empha- 
sized might and thought only of what omnipotence could do. 
They regarded themselves as worthless atoms and pictured the 
next world as a strange unnatural place, in which it would be 
impossible for a soul accustomed to things of this life to feel 
at home. Heaven would undoubtedly be beautiful with its 
golden streets and jasper gates, but an altogether new country 
with curious habits and customs, which cause it to be regarded 
with a feeling akin to terror. There was so much thunder and 
lightning in the creed that one accepted it with blanched cheek 
and trembling lips; accepted it because he dare not do other- 
wise; because the consequences of doubting it were too terrible 
to describe or contemplate. 

The progress which has been made in these matters has been 
like the rising of the sun over the hill-tops. The genial rays of 
a larger knowledge have dissipated the darkness and we are 
coming into the almost perfect day. Our worship is the worship 
of thanksgiving, and we are like the children who sit at the 



516 . Book of Knowledge. 

father's knee to tell the doings of the day and to receive such 
warning and advice as may seem to be necessary. 

Our religion is full of good cheer and gladness. It is not a 
preventive of possible ills which may befall us after death, but a 
philosophy of the present, which teaches us to make the best of 
our human experiences, and to tell us that he who loves God to- 
day will surely be loved of God to-morrow. I am profoundly 
convinced that there is more reaching out for real religion to-day 
than ever before; a deeper thirst for spiritual knowledge and a 
stronger desire to make that kind of religion the practical basis 
of every-day action. In a word, we are slowly groping through 
the gloom of theological speculation into the Divine presence of 
the Christ. We are not very close to Him as yet, but near enough 
to dream of the blessedness which will fill the world when we 
shall come to really understand His word. He was a mystery 
to our fathers ; He is more or less a mystery to us ; but the time 
is coming when the New Testament will be embodied in a new 
life, social and political, and when our poor humanity will be 
irradiated with divine influences which have scarcely crossed the 
threshold of humanity as yet. 

Religion — the religion which our children's children will en- 
joy — will be the perfect day in the morning twilight of which we 
are now living. If there are some who think that we have out- 
grown the Christ I can only answer that we have not touched 
the lower hem of His garment ; that He is still the world's great 
puzzle ; that we have almost no conception at all of that wondrous 
philosophy proclaimed by the lips of revelation, which will do 
away with all physical disease by the mastery of the spirit over 
the body, and which will lift our souls, shrivelled by base thoughts 
and ignoble purposes into a manhood and womanhood which 
to-day are only the dream of the poet or the vision of the prophet. 
It makes life brighter to think of God as friend and father, and 
to be able to go to Him in a prayer, which like an outstretched 
hand grasps at a sure support, and not only brighter but stronger. 
Great deeds are possible ; great temptations can be resisted ; great 
suffering can be borne when to your feeble heart God is not a 
myth but a reality. To be sure of Him is to make Him sure of 
you. He is willing to give you all you need, if you are willing to 



The Man Who Looks Out of Your Eyes. 517 

put yourself in a condition to receive the gifts. I scarcely dare 
think what the real man of God may be able to do, for even Christ 
has only darkly hinted at it. But of this I am sure, he will live in 
perfect health and will die as one goes to sleep and wake up in 
heaven. And to feel that His Spiritual presence is round about 
you and that you are never alone, and that He and our loved 
ones are glad with you and sorry with you — how the thought 
lightens our burdens and doubles our happiness. What an in- 
spiration is the thought that the God Power is at our command 
if we do right, and what we are called on to bear is not the result 
of accident but of eternal wisdom. How your nerves tingle 
when the conviction steals into your mind and what consciousness 
of power it affords. 

And then one other thought; suppose we felt sure that He 
really does send His angels — our loved ones — to guard our foot- 
steps, that the partition wall between us and the other world is 
merely a fabric of the imagination, and that the two worlds are 
practically one, and all about you, in your home, your struggles, 
your business, your sorrows, are invisible beings who know you 
as you do not know them, w T ho are interested in your welfare, 
and who surround you with their influence; whose energy is in- 
calculable and whose kindliness is unfathomed. 

The thought is like the parting of the clouds ; it is like a star- 
light night; it is like distant music whose echoes reach your ears 
and fill the heart with hope. When shall we believe all this?, 
The Christ believed it and went to Calvary without a murmur, 
because Calvary was on the road to heaven. We must believe 
it also or we will never become His true followers. Our paths, 
too, lead through Gethsemane, but it is only a resting place on 
the road to glory. We want to understand more of the Christ 
Spiritual teaching; still more, and then our lives will be trans- 
figured. 

" For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the Spirit 
of man which is in him?" 1 Cor. II, 11. 



518 Book of Knowledge. 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 

Then opened He their understanding that they might under- 
stand the Scripture. St. Luke XXIV, 43. 

In quoting the difficult passages in the New Testament to 
many of the members of the different denominations, they do 
not get the same understanding from them as I do, or as I get 
from the Holy Power that guides me, and when we explain it 
to them, they seem astonished that they did not understand it so. 
So in looking over a book I came across this conversation be- 
tween Hon. H. C. Deming and President Lincoln, which will be 
interesting to many dear readers, proving that President Lincoln 
did understand and the others did not ; also proving by his noble 
life and his devotion to humanity, that he was one of His dis- 
ciples, and no one can deny that he was a true follower of Christ 
and His teachings. 

" On one occasion, I shall never forget," said the Hon. H. C. 
Deming, of Connecticut. " The conversation turned upon reli- 
gious subjects and Mr. Lincoln made this impressive remark : ' I 
have never united myself to any church, because I have found 
difficulty in giving my assent, without mental reservation, to the 
long complicated statements of Christian doctrine which charac- 
terize their Articles of Belief and Confession of Faith. 

" ' When any church will inscribe over its altar, as its sole 
qualification for membership/ he continued, ' the Saviour's con- 
densed statement of the substance of both law and gospel : " Thou 
shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy 
soul, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself," that 
church will I join with all my heart and soul. I am not a Christian 
— God knows I would be one — but I have carefully read the 
Bible, and I do not so understand this book ' : and he drew forth 
a pocket New Testament. ' These men well know,' he continued, 
' that I am for freedom in the territories, freedom everywhere as 
free as the constitution and the laws will permit, and that my 
opponents are for slavery. They know this, and yet, with this 
book in their hands, in the light of which human bondage cannot 
live a moment, they are going to vote against me : I do not under- 



The Man Who Looks Out of Your Eyes. 519 

stand it at all.' Here Mr. Lincoln paused — paused for long min- 
utes — his features surcharged with emotion. Then he arose and 
walked up and down the reception room, in the effort to retain 
or regain his self-possession. Stopping at last, he said, with a 
trembling voice and his cheeks wet with tears, ' I know there is 
a God, and that He hates injustice and slavery. I see the storm 
coming, and I know that His hand is in it. If He has a place and 
work for me — I think He has — I believe I am ready. I am noth- 
ing, but truth is everything. I know I am right, because I know 
that liberty is right, for Christ teaches it, and Christ is of God. 
I have told them that a house divided against itself cannot stand ; 
and Christ and reason say the same; and they will find it out. 
Douglass don't care whether slavery is voted up or down. But 
God cares, and humanity cares, and I care ; and with God's help 
I shall not fail. I may not see the end; but it will come, and I 
shall be vindicated: and these men will find that they have not 
read their Bible aright.' " 

" And I seek not mine own glory : there is one that seeketh 
and judgeth." St. John VIII, 50. 

" Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, he 
will never see death." St. John VIII, 51. 



GOD'S KINGDOM. 

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in 
Heaven. St. Matthew VI, 10. 

Of course the progress being made in all our material interests 
absorbs and excites our wonder. We have not only discovered 
new natural forces but are making use of them in such a fashion 
that the rarest luxuries of yesterday are the common comforts of 
to-day, If life is to be reckoned by opportunities rather than by 
the " figures on the dial " we are lengthening its span by every 
new invention. The man, who instead of spending a week in 
travelling from New York to Boston, does his business in five 
minutes by telephone, has added to his life by just the amount 
of time saved. He may not literally have stretched his seventy 



520 Book of Knowledge. 

years to a hundred, but he has crowded into them the experience 
which his grandfather would not have had in a century. 

Great as these advances are, however, they are minute in com- 
parison with the strides which have been taken in religious con- 
cerns. We not only have more religion than our forefathers but 
we have a wider, more wholesome religion. And yet, the spiritual 
laws which we enjoy and think so marvellous are meagre and 
vague and dim when measured by the possibilities of the future. 
A thousand years are only a dream in the night, a mere particle 
in the great aggregate of Eternity, and no man living can conceive 
of what the next generation from now will know concerning 
earth and heaven. That it will look upon us with something 
like pity for our ignorance, just as we look upon the good folks 
who worshiped the gods of Olympus, goes without saying. Would 
it be too much to predict that they of the coming time will all 
be able to demonstrate the difference between soul and body and 
show that they are two different entities, as easily as the chemist 
of to-day separates the oxygen and the nitrogen in a cup of 
water! Or that they will make such startling discoveries that 
when a man is in the proper condition, he can see the air filled 
with spiritual beings who walked the earth unseen, as the old 
prophet did when he became inspired. That power is given to a 
great many now, but think of what it will be. Life, our human 
life, will be quite another thing from what it is now; higher, 
grander, nobler. Or that heaven and earth — that is, God and 
man — will be in such relations with each other that we shall look 
on our burdens and griefs with dearer eyes; and knowing what 
they mean, use them for the development of qualities which now 
seem to be mere possibilities, and of which we only catch a 
glimpse now and then. 

It does us good, it is a decided encouragement to feel that 
the road to the higher life, to eternal truth, is not so long. God 
has in store for us many things, which are being revealed slowly, 
but, as Jesus said, " Ye cannot bear them now." St. John XVI, 
12. There is no logic in these statements which seems to be irre- 
sistible. It is the logic of evolution which may be slow in its 
processes but is sure to reach the goal at last. Let me illustrate. 
The world is full of the unseen but not of the invisible. What 



The Man Who Looks Out of Your Eyes. 521 

was unseen by our fathers has become dear to us, and what is 
unseen to us will be dear to our children. The near-sighted man 
sees little, but when he wears spectacles he sees more. The 
myriads of beings in a drop of water are unseen until we use the 
microscope, and then new realms break on our view. The heavens 
are a sealed book until we look through the telescope, and then 
we are overwhelmed. More and more of the invisible is becoming 
visible every day. Is there any limit to our discoveries? If we 
live long enough in the body may we not see all the things some 
day ? Look at the Christ. What did He know and see ? So much 
that even He did not think it wise to tell all. We have been trying 
to digest His philosophy of life for many ages, but have only 
succeeded in getting ourselves into a theological snarl. He wanted 
to tell us how to live, but we have persuaded ourselves that His 
only purpose was to tell us what to believe. He is the stranger 
in our great company even now. If He were to return and re- 
peat His words we should turn our backs on Him as they did of 
old. We are millions of miles distant from the truth He taught. 
How close the Father was to Him ! And yet no closer than He 
may be to us. How calm under the stress of affliction He was 1 
And yet not more so than we can be when we get our spiritual 
food. From the same source, how constantly He felt the pres- 
ence of unseen beings, and what support they brought ! And yet, 
though this is so strange that we can scarce believe it, those same 
angels and our beloved ones are as nigh to us as they were to 
Him. 

We must realize these things, we must meditate upon them 
until they become a part of us, and we must appropriate them to 
our own use. Then the bitterness of life will give way to sweet- 
ness. There will be rainbows in our tears, and behind our sighs 
a quiet resignation. There will be more hopefulness in our hearts, 
a strengthening faith which can endure all things, and our religion 
will be a series of light-houses, enabling us to steer clear of shoals 
and rocks, and to anchor in the haven at last. 

" But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, 
gentleness, goodness, faith." Galatians V, 22. 



522 Book of Knowledge. 

LITTLE THINGS. 
She hath done what she could. St. Mark XIV, 8. 

We are reminded by these words of one of the most pathetic 
and instructive incidents in the short career of the Christ. It 
furnishes us with a standpoint from which to view the practical 
side of religion, its application to the common and small concerns 
of life. 

The results of scientific research are of very little compara- 
tive value as long as they consist of mere statement of facts. 
They are of importance only when they are made to add to our 
comfort and convenience. The theories concerning electricity, 
for example, are always interesting and always claim our admir- 
ing attention, but while they are speculative, they are no better 
than a pleasant dream. When, however, that subtle fluid is har- 
nessed to a car, or made to drive an engine, when it flashes along 
the wire and carries our messages of love or business to distant 
points, then we appreciate its practical work and make it a com- 
ponent part of our lives ; so religion, when it comes to us in the 
shape of theology, is a guest whom we receive into our household 
with respect and reverence, but it is always a stranger to us, 
one whom we cannot quite understand and whose demands are 
so complicated that we never feel entirely at home. But when it 
sits at our fireside, as a fellow-traveller, and with words of wis- 
dom tells us how to bear our burdens; how to fill our daily task 
with sweetness, and how to make the most of our contracted en- 
vironments, then it is not a stranger but a friend, a very welcome 
friend whom we are glad to have under our roof. The kind of 
religion I prize most is the kind which sanctifies the lesser duties 
and gives them a value, which in our ordinary thinking, they do 
not possess. I can easily see the grandeur that surrounds the sac- 
rifice of life to a noble cause ; the daring and conspicuous deeds of 
heroism which save the country in its moments of peril, and which 
many a generation will applaud; but it is the harder for me to 
see if I do my daily work faithfully; if I resist the temptations 
which beset me in my professional or private life ; and if I make 
my home happy, though I have little to make it happy with, I 



The Man Who Looks Out of Your Eyes. 523 

really achieve the highest destiny that mortals are capable of; 
and though the world will be silent and indifferent when I die, 
I shall be received in heaven with the honors which true heroism 
commands. When the sister of Lazarus anointed the feet of the 
Saviour the disciples cried : " Why was this waste of the oint- 
ment made ? " " Then took Mary a pound of ointment of Spiken- 
ard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his 
feet with her hair." St. John XII, 3. They knew nothing of the 
high philosophy which it was his purpose to reveal. They were 
sordid, narrow, ignorant. But while they scolded He praised, 
and declared that in all future time this incident should be kept 
in remembrance. They could see nothing but the three hundred 
pence, which the anointment was worth; but He saw the love 
and gratitude in the woman's heart which it represented. What 
was to them a wanton waste was to him of priceless value. One 
cannot appreciate spiritual laws until his emotions are stirred. 
Religion may consist largely of great thoughts, but great thoughts 
must rouse noble feelings, before the circle can be complete. True 
religion is feeling more than thinking; it must lead to a feeling 
before the journey will be ended. Give me the heart of a man and 
I am not afraid his brains will carry him far away from me. If 
I have the love of my friend and his confidence I have the best 
part of him. I do not care for or want his costly gifts, because 
they are costly, but I do care for any gift, however small it may 
be, which shows that he and I are one ; the same with any friend, 
man or woman, it is not the price of a gift, but its sentiment 
that gives it its value. It seems to me that what we chiefly lack 
in our domestic relations is that something which prompted 
Mary to anoint the feet of her divine guest at Bethany. There 
is too much of the commonplace in our lives, and too little of that 
sentiment or romance which, after all, is worth more than any- 
thing else. Many a wife's heart is broken and the glory of many 
a home circle obliterated, or at any rate obscured, because of the 
little attentions, which in earlier days we were so eager to 
bestow and receive, have given way to indifference. If husbands 
and wives would continue to be the lovers after marriage as 
well as before many homes which are now broken would be in 
complete harmony. When children begin to come into the homes 



524 Book of Knowledge. 

how soon are the husband and wife forgotten for the little ones. 
Yet God, the Holy Creator, has so made us that one love should 
not conflict with another. We have the love for the father and 
mother, sister and brother, husband and wife, children and 
friends, all through a divine law, like a mosaic floor — each niche 
has its place. But we ourselves change that, not our Creator. 

The five senses alone have made me realize and recognize 
the great Creator, and have proven to me the life hereafter. I 
have heard seemingly intelligent people say, " Yes, yes, it is 
nature; we have not time to question that now." Yet there 
comes a time when they will be sorry that they did not make it 
a part of their lives while here. 

" And He turned Him unto His disciples, and said privately, 
' Blessed are the eyes that see the things that ye see.' " St. Luke 
X, 23. 

" For I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired 
to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them ; and to 
hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." St. 
Luke X, 24. 

HERESY. 

My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. Job 
XXVII, 6. 

It is very important that your heart or conscience shall not 
accuse you. Your happiness does not depend upon the conscience 
or heart of any one else, but on your own. God gave you a con- 
science with the command that you should follow its behests, 
and when you go into the other world, that conscience will be 
your judge. In other words, God will not judge you, but you 
will judge yourself. It is your conscience that makes you an 
individual; which spiritually isolates you; and its approval is 
worth more than the approval of all the world besides. You can- 
not go far wrong if you always do what you think is right. 
You may ask advice, but you must decide for yourself what it is 
best to do and then do it, whether people blame or praise. If 
every one were to follow this rule we should have a large differ- 
ence of opinion among men, but above it all a divine harmony of 



The Man Who Looks Out of Your Eyes 525 

purpose. When the millennium comes (the knowledge of spirit- 
ual communication between the two worlds), we shall not all 
think alike, neither shall we allow any one to do our thinking for 
us, but we shall think for ourselves, until thinking changes to 
conviction. Then we shall follow our convictions as we follow 
the flag of our country ; and hold to them, and be true to them, 
and so win the smile of God. 

What you need most of all is to be your best, truest, and 
noblest self. For that end you came into the world, and unless 
you accomplish that end your life will be essentially a failure, 
and the requirements of the Almighty will stand neglected. Men 
may call you heretical, but what men say of you is of no import- 
ance in comparison with what God will say. Your business is 
to be on His side, and to be sure in your heart that He is on your* 
side. If after that people are with you you may well rejoice ; but 
if they are not, that is their affair and not yours. Your duty is 
what you think your duty is, after the enlightenment or illumina- 
tion which always comes to him who is in accord with the God 
Power of the universe, and thus breathes the atmosphere of the 
spiritual life. To that duty you should never be false, for it is 
what makes you a living soul ; what brings nobility of character ; 
what opens the door of communication with the other world; 
what gives you a claim to the assistance of the angels, and assures 
you of the helping hand of the Most High. 

Not he is religious, in any wide sense, who is merely the. 
shadow of someone else's mind, but he who casts his own shadow, 
because he is a solid substance on which the sun shines. 

This is a very queer world in one respect. We like to be sheep 
and follow a bell-wether. Even in matters of dress, we must 
needs be told what to wear, and whether it is comely or uncomely, 
we wear it. In the matter of religion there is as much fashion as 
there is in dress. What the majority believe we try to believe, 
because it is so easy to go with the majority. If it does not com- 
mend itself to our judgment we secretly dissent, but openly ap- 
prove. This introduces an element of hypocrisy into the " Holy 
of Holies," demoralizes mind and heart, forces from us our self- 
respect, and deprives us of heavenly recognition and approval. 
Our vital energy is sapped, our manliness and womanliness are 



526 Book of Knowledge. 

injured, unless we can say of an opinion, I formed it myself, 
and it is therefore mine. 

In this matter of belief, of religious belief, you are to search 
for the truth — God's truth — Christ's truth — eternal truth. You 
are to dive into the depths of your soul, and what you bring 
therefrom is to be the foundation on which to build your life and 
character. The world may say nay, or it may say yea; it makes 
no difference. You are to be governed solely by God's yea and 
nay, as the words are whispered in your ear by Him who reveals 
Himself to every man, during every day and hour of his life. 
You may not get at the whole truth, eternity must unfold itself 
before you can know that; but you will get at that much of the 
truth as will serve your purpose, be it great or small. Men may 
tell you to believe this or that — it is nothing. You may believe 
as others do, or you may not; but if you will believe what God 
shall teach you when He and you are together, in the sad and 
glad experiences which will fall to your lot, then your days will 
be radiant, and you will be at peace. The only real heresy is the 
heresy of an evil life. Honest belief is never heresy, but dishonest 
living is always heresy. To be false to a high ideal; to grovel 
when you ought to soar; to be entangled in the delusive am- 
bitions of this world when you ought to keep your soul bright 
and clear and pure; to unmake yourself by immortalities when 
you should be building for eternity ; to be mean when you should 
be great; these constitute a heresy which is abhorred in heaven. 
" But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he 
hath done ; and there is no respect of persons." Colossians III, 23. 

He who lives nobly is no heretic whether his creed be long 
or short. He who lives on a low moral level is the heretic, though 
his creed be a furlong in length. I say, therefore be yourself, 
and make yourself all you are capable of becoming. High living 
alone is like true Spiritualism, and high living is the result of 
pure feeling and lofty thinking. If your conscience tells you 
that you are right, you have nothing to fear, either here or here- 
after. 

" Judge not that ye be not judged. For with what judgment 
ye judge ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete 
it shall be measured to you again." Matthew VII, 1-2. 



The Man Who Looks Out of Your Eyes. 527 

WHAT MAN MAY DO. 

Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand 
of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. St. Matthew 
XXVI, 64. 

If I say that every man creates the world in which he lives, 
I am strictly within the limits of a truthful statement. A man's 
environment is the smallest part of his world. The world that 
is made by circumstances, or by accident of birth and wealth, of 
social position, or even of genius, has less to do with the happiness 
than the world which he creates himself, and in which his real 
life is passed. If I were a magician I might give you fame, or 
beauty, or valor, or untold and inexhaustible riches, but in be- 
stowing these things I should not necessarily make you either 
contented or useful. It is even possible that I might merely add 
fuel to the consuming fire of your selfishness or avarice. These 
gifts might prove a curse rather than a blessing. They are fre- 
quently real obstacles in the formation of a nobler character, and 
the man who possesses them "may perhaps remember only his 
rights and forget all his duties, may close his heart to that sym- 
pathy and charity which are the chief elements of a grand and 
beautiful life. Indeed, it has become almost an inevitable fact 
that he who begins his career with what the majority of people 
think the most desirable things, is apt to end it in disappointment 
and in a conspicuous lack of high achievements. The boy who 
is cradled in wealth is by no means to be envied, for he is sur- 
rounded by dangers which will compass his ruin unless he is 
exceptionally strong. He also knows the worth of money who 
is compelled to work for it ; and he alone knows the full meaning 
of life who stands face to face with difficulty and who attains 
success after a hard struggle. You are not made, therefore, by 
your outward circumstances, and they are of much less impor- 
tance than you think. Not what is without but what is within 
determines your character. If I want to know what you are 
I must find my way into your soul. I do not care for your bank 
account, because that belongs as much to your heirs as to you; 
neither do I care for your palace, or your gallery, or your lands, 






528 Book of Knowledge. 

or your pictures, because these are yours temporarily and ere 
many years you will make your exit and leave them all behind. 
You will, however, carry your soul with you wherever you go, and 
for that reason I do not know what you are worth until I make 
the acquaintance of that soul. If that is not what it should be, 
you will miss such trinkets as wealth can buy, and find yourself 
a poor man in the future life. But if your soul is rich, then you 
are rich forever, and not even death can rob you of your posses- 
sions. I insist, therefore, that if you wish to live in a beautiful 
world you must create it. It may be a difficult task, but with 
the help of God it can be done. It is, indeed, the kind of work 
He intended you to do, and for which He has given you the 
requisite ability. 

For example, if you have hatred in your heart, or if your 
heart is filled with envy, ill will and ill nature ; if you have an un- 
controllable temper, or are ready at all times to sacrifice honor 
to gain; if you are narrow in criticism and suspicious of those 
about you; if you can see a bad motive but never a good one; 
you have already exercised your creative faculty and made a 
very hell for yourself. You may enjoy a mean and contemptible 
sort of happiness, which is stained and soiled by the suffering of 
others, but that is all. You live in the world, getting all you can, 
but giving nothing. Your attitude toward others forces them to 
assume the same attitude toward you. Your hand is against every 
man ; you live with a constant thorn in the flesh. It is your world, 
and you are responsible for what is in it. 

On the other hand, if you are charitable and kindly; if love 
and the desire to be helpful are the supreme incentives to action ; 
if you are charitable in your judgments, generous in your deal- 
ings, and honest in your transactions, you make a heaven for 
yourself, which is filled not only with self-respect and a conscious- 
ness of rectitude, but with the good will and sympathy of all 
around you. The love >ou give is returned with interest. The 
life you live is a blessing to every one who meets you, and all 
the earth is enriched by your words, your deeds, your example. 
With God's help and that of the angels you have wrought a 
miracle, for you have made a world in which he delights to dwell, 
and to which the angels of heaven will come as your guests. We 



The Man Who Looks Out of Your Eyes. 529 

are not weak; we are strong, if our faith is strong. This life 
may be made beautiful or wretched by the qualities of mind 
which we cherish. God has placed almost infinite power in our 
hands and we are responsible for its use. If we recognize these 
facts, we shall live a heavenly life, because we live the true life. 
" Who maketh his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of 
fire." Hebrews I, 7. 









CHAPTER XXIV. 

WHAT IS RELIGION? 

And Jesus answering said unto them, "Do ye not therefore 
err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of 
God." St. Mark XII, 24. 

The doctrine of total depravity I do not accept, but it con- 
tains an axiom of truth which everybody believes, clothed in a 
bold and reckless statement which nobody believes. To say that 
all men are bad is false, if human experience counts for anything. 
To say that all men are wholly bad is simply incredible ; we know 
ourselves well enough to arrive at a very different conclusion. 
We are all conscious that there is a foundation of good in the 
soul on which to build a noble character if we choose to do so; 
that is the verdict of every man who lives. 

When, however, I see a man do what he knows will injure 
him, indulge in forbidden pleasures without reckoning the conse- 
quences — pleasures which are forbidden because the world is so 
made that they cannot result in any other way — then I feel like 
formulating a new doctrine, to be called Unaccountable Per- 
versity; and when I see a man who knows that a broken law 
always avenges itself, but still persists in evil habits under a 
curious hallucination that, while everybody else has been over- 
taken, he will himself escape; then I want to formulate another 
doctrine, to be called Inordinate Self-Conceit. Herein lies a 
mystery and only true religion can make it clear; a puzzle, and 
only religion, which is another word for sane and reasonable 
outlook, can solve it. 

A man will not put his hand into the fire because the con- 
sequence is both immediate and painful; neither will he swallow 
a rank poison; nor yet will he recklessly jump from a precipice. 
He has too much regard for himself, his physical integrity, to do 
any of these things. They have no temptation for him because 



What is Religion? 531 

he has a wholesome and restraining fear. If you push him to 
take the poison or to take the leap, he looks on you as an enemy 
and treats you with scorn. He will resent either proposal as an 
insult to his common sense. Tell him that he can escape un- 
scathed, argue the matter with him as eloquently as you please, 
you cannot persuade him. He not only refuses, but does it in 
such a way that you are at once silenced. But in spiritual con- 
cerns the rule does not hold good. The man who will not cut 
his arm will gash his character and not give the wound a second 
thought. When he does a wrong deed he knows he has injured 
himself, but he does not want to believe it. That is the puzzle. 
He is a bundle of contradictions, for he will deliberately make 
himself a drunkard, ruin his body, bring his family to misery 
and poverty, and keenly regret every downward step he takes. 
I am sure that a bad man's life is full of wonder and grief that 
he is bad, and full of resolutions to reform ; good impulses, noble 
elements of nature, lovable qualities, are in conjunction with a 
course of which he is ashamed, but in which he persistently per- 
sists. He is neither totally one thing nor wholly another, for 
there is an angel in his nature in arm with the so-called devil. 
Such a man may be awake physically but he is sound asleep spir- 
itually; but when he once awakens and realizes that his angel 
mother or sister, father or brother, sweetheart, wife, or child is 
fully cognizant of all he is doing, then he will rouse from tht 
lower to the higher thought of the God Power. When he fully 
realizes that his loved ones are not dead, but living in the life 
beyond how different this lower life will appear to him! As it 
is now, he lacks an appreciation of the real value and the real val- 
uation of things. He is not so much depraved as he is ignorant. 
He must be taught a new lesson. He must learn some awful 
facts, one of which is, that an injury done to the soul is a thousand 
times worse than if done to the body. He does not know that as 
yet he is a mature animal, with undeveloped spiritual possibilities. 
This is a hard saying, but we are all conscious that it is true. 
Most of us have more of the animal than of the angel in us, but 
still the animal displays better judgment of God's laws than many 
men and women. 

What is true religion? It is the one thing we need. It 



532 Book of Knowledge. 

is the source of soul education. It is the only thing that will 
save us from our lower selves by telling us how to rise above our- 
selves. No man or woman can make any other but a false start 
without it. Its sphere of influence begins even before the child 
is born, and ends when eternity ends. There is something pecu- 
liar about religion. When you recognize the fact that the world, 
physically, intellectually and spiritually, is governed by inexorable 
law; that this law is stronger than you; and there is no way to 
evade or avoid it and that if you attempt to do so you will suffer 
inevitable defeat, then you are on the threshold of a great revela- 
tion. But at this point you are not necessarily religious ; you are 
simply scientific; your brain is all right, but your heart, your 
motives may be all wrong, when you make the discovery that 
above all law is the God who decreed it; fitted the law to you 
and fitted you to the law ; that when you are tempted to break it, 
in a moment of aberration, He will help you to recover yourself 
by putting into operation another law ; that when you are in accord 
with Him ; when you see that He knows best ; when you lay aside 
your self-conceit, which prompts you ignorantly to find fault with 
Him; when you live and move and have your being in Him as 
your Father; when you can delight in His laws; then, and then 
only, are you as religious a follower as the Christ. The right 
kind of religion, therefore, is the sublimest thing conceivable. 
It produces a state of mind receptive, truthful, joyful, healthful 
and marvellous. Under its influence our lives are set to music, 
not always glad but always hopeful. The soul grows to mature 
proportions, as quite resigned, mellowed by experience, as fruit 
ripens in the sunshine and shower. Religion as Christ understood 
it and practised it is the grandest thing on earth and the best 
thing in heaven. 

" Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth 
through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that 
ye love one another with a pure heart fervently." I Peter I, 22. 



What is Religion? 533 

LET THE GOOD ANGELS COME IN. 

Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what 
ye shall eat or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what 
ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body 
than raiment? St. Matthew VI, 25. 

What grand lessons of life and duty ; what sublime principles 
of enriched manhood; of abiding trust; of upright and noble 
living, do we not hear continually from our angel helpers and 
friends, through lips touched with their inspiration! Whoever 
lives up to their teachings will live as close to the heart of God 
as it is possible to get. The fault is not in Spiritualism but in 
ourselves that Spiritualists are not always exactly what they 
should be. There comes a time in the life of every person when 
he must realize that his brief day of existence is drawing to a 
close; when his eye loses its lustre and the step its elasticity, and 
he must feel that he is nearing the inevitable change that comes 
to all. Have you reached that time, dear reader ? If so, you must 
know there is not much more of this earth life for you. You 
must know that the shadows you see in the distance are the mists 
that hang over the river beyond, the home of the immortal soul. 
Isn't it about time, if you haven't done so already, that you be- 
gin to put yourself in readiness for the long journey? You will 
need something to take with you. What have you among your 
assets that you will want, or that will be of any use to you over 
there? Surely nothing of a temporal character; that you must 
dispose of or make proper use of it before you go, or it will weigh 
you down. Then what have you left that will be of real worth 
to you when you shall cross over and awaken to the new life on 
the other shore? Is not the subject worthy of your thought, and 
would it not be well for us all to close the doors of our .souls to 
the world for a little while, take an account of stock, and see just 
where we stand? 

Let the good angels come in ; let them come into your hearts, 
and let them take up their abode in your homes. You have no 
idea how they will lighten your cares and " roll the stone away 
from the sepulchre." 



534 Book of Knowledge. 

" For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." 
St. Matthew VI, 21. 



SIGNS AND WONDERS. 

Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all 
patience in signs and wonders, and mighty deeds. 2 Cor. XII, 12. 

When the Master was on earth, he said that certain signs and 
wonders should follow those that believe, and that greater things 
than He did, they should do. He evidently meant what He said ; 
but what are the signs and wonders of those that pretend to 
believe in these later ages of Christianity. Do they heal the sick 
by the laying on of hands ? Are they superior to the deadly effects 
of poison? Not at all. Then how can they be His disciples? 
The marvellous phenomena attending the manifestation of the 
Spirit, under the name of modern Spiritualism, seems to be a 
literal fulfilment of the great Teacher's predictions in many 
things. " Out of the mouths of babes " many truths are spoken, 
and they are made to speak and write in languages whereof they 
have no knowledge. 

The sick are healed by Spirit power and many strange signs 
are given to teach man the true way of life ; but only the wise are 
receptive to the truth. 

There is an assurance, an abiding comfort and confidence in 
a knowledge of the Spirit existence and communion as enjoyed by 
all true Spiritualists, that no faith in things unseen and unknown 
can- possibly give. To the true Spiritualist the dark problem of 
the grave has been solved. For him the future has no terror, 
and he is reconciled to bear the burdens of life patiently, knowing 
that thereby he is better preparing himself for his home in Spirit 
life and for the companionship of loved ones gone before. 



Now, my beloved children, patients, and readers — we have 
completed our " Book of Knowledge : Psychic Facts." We hope 
you will enjoy reading it as much as we have enjoyed writing 
and preparing it, and as soon as I am fully rested I will return to 
you until I am called by the God Power. 

" Yet a little while and the world seeth me no more, but ye see 
me ; because I live, ye shall live also." St. John XIV, 19. 



fb 



*!)'*$ & 



£3 



c 



& 

\ 



\ 

^ 





> ^ 




.*. •*>. 












^ 



V * A - 













i?V 




>^*' 




<* ''7-..' .0* o '•• 







•^d* 



W\/ v^V v^V v^Sv I 







iV, V \1fiK*" ^ %, \. °-^W** . «^ v %> '•SSK ; 4.^%. °°^v 






. .• A 



^\/ V^5*V \*^^\/ V^^'/ 






4 



9^ 











» M 











4* .^;% % 





Deacidified using the Bookkeeper procesa 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Nov. 2004 



i PreservationlechnologieiA 

%* - * A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION I 

l 



L** . 




Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 



r -w 



°1 V 
























h \** • jfe- \/ ;&££- ' 






**** 

** >. 









c v ♦' 



0^ 



D0BBSBR0S. V* V 8 ^K' ^ V> • ^R^° ^«* .SB 1 , ^ 

1 LIBRARY BINDING C .ft « £^?S3NSv * * ^^^^7 * 

#S?& FLA. Vv72^* O j** »^*^ • <*> r.° ♦l^^J'- 9-* .-V* «^ 



"W 



•^^ 



